Eddie Butler was a rarity in top-class sport. He became more famous once his playing days were over for his work as a broadcaster, journalist and novelist. The one-time captain of Wales was the natural heir of the “voice of rugby”, Bill McLaren, with whom he shared the BBC commentary box in his early days as a broadcaster. Butler became, more specifically, the voice of Welsh rugby, his mellow tones from those chilly, winter afternoons high in TV gantries and press boxes warming the listener, while his printed words on the game equally delighted readers of the Observer and Guardian.
Butler, who has died in his sleep at the age of 65 during a walking expedition for charity in Peru, was universally admired in the worlds of rugby and journalism. With one of his daughters, Nell, he was raising money for prostate cancer on the hike to Machu Picchu. Butler, who played 16 times for Wales and was called up as a replacement for the Lions in New Zealand in 1983, was a tireless charity fundraiser.
