We Loved Ye Prince T.

Aug 26th 2009

I first met Thierry in 1968 at East High School. We didn't hang in the same circles, but if you went to East, you knew Prince T. I remember him being a sports guy back then. Brother had the biggest Fro in the entire school, and always  impeccable white Chucks. He played basketball, and managed the varsity football team. I had lost track of brother until seven or eight years ago until hearing him on KKFN. I would make the occasional call to say hello, ask my question, and get the sports education I needed that day. He first would always ask how I was doing, if the music was still flowing, and hows the family. He would even give the occasional shout out as to where the band was gigging that weekend. 

In these days of misinformation, mistrust in people, and a general feeling that folks just don't give a damn anymore, Thierry was a breath of fresh air,. An honest man with an honest opinion. And this was not a condition that he mellowed to after getting older. This was the man I remembered from the very first time I met him.

God bless you my brother.

Denver sportscaster Thierry Smith dies

By The Denver Post

POSTED: 08/26/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

UPDATED: 08/26/2009 01:07:38 AM MDT

Longtime Denver-area radio broadcaster Thierry Smith died Monday night, his former employer, KKFN 104.3 FM "The Fan" said Tuesday.

Smith, who graduated from Denver East High School in 1971 and went on to a degree in communications from the University of Denver, was a fixture on sports radio talk shows since the 1980s.

He started as a cub reporter for the now-defunct KDKO, where he eventually hosted a midday "Sports Rap" show. He later moved to KYBG and to KKFN, where he worked both the AM and FM side of the dial.

Smith, who for years was the only African-American voice in the crowded Denver sports talk-show business, in 2000 was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Association of Black Journalists.

He also was closely involved in Colorado high school athletics and for several years was part of a Denver Post panel that awarded a weekly prep football coaching award.

Smith had multiple sclerosis, a disease that left him unable to walk.

"It's a very sad day for anyone who knew Thierry, and for Denver in general," KKFN program director Tim Spence told Westword on Tuesday. "Thierry was the consummate professional, the consummate journalist and one of the hardest-working guys I've ever known."

"And he did all of that while dealing with MS. He was a true warrior."