Stu Nahan, famous for his film work as the sportscaster in the "Rocky" movies but perhaps best known in these parts for being a '50s kiddie TV host, "Skipper Stu," has died. He was 81. Read Nahan's obit here.

Nahan's death comes only a few months after he was given a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

A personal note: In 1983, when I was a painfully young sportswriter for the L.A. Times and in way over my head on the professional hockey beat, Stu (an ex-goalie and very clued in to the game) helped me learn the ropes. Stu, at that time, was a bigtime L.A. sportscaster and didn't have to help some snot-nosed 23-year-old newspaper hack. But he did, and I've always been grateful.