Longtime TNA/Impact Wrestling announcer and head of merchandising Don West died at age 59 from cancer.
Impact Wrestling announced West's death Friday on Twitter, calling him "one of the defining voices" in the history of the promotion:
West first announced in June 2021 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma in his brain and would immediately begin treatment.
Scott D'Amore, who is the executive vice president of Impact Wrestling, remembered West with a statement on ImpactWrestling.com, which partially read:
"You can't think about TNA/Impact without thinking of Don West. Don and Mike Tenay provided the soundtrack to so many iconic moments in company history. There was no more cherished member of the TNA/Impact family.
"Don was truly a one of a kind who brightened every room he walked into. He brought out the best in people and was an inspiration to all who crossed paths with him. He was one of the first people I met upon arriving at the TNA Asylum for the first time, and Don instantly made me feel welcome. His warm heart and legendary sense of humor made every day at work something to look forward to."
West joined TNA when Jeff Jarrett founded it in 2002, after a successful stint on the Shop at Home Network.
He served as the color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tenay and was known for his trademark enthusiasm. Notably, he was part of the commentary team for the first TNA pay-per-view in June 2002.
West later expanded his role by becoming chiefly responsible for merchandise creation and sales in TNA, which drew from his background on the Shop at Home Network.
While West departed TNA in 2012, he returned in 2017 as part of the merchandise department and did some commentary work on special occasions.
Wrestlers such as AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe are perhaps most synonymous with TNA, but when it comes to non-wrestlers, nobody left a bigger mark on the company than West.
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