Dick Button, the legendary figure skater who became the first American to win Olympic gold in the sport, died Thursday at age 95 of natural causes, according to U.S. Figure Skating. In 1948, Button, then 18,

Dick Button, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion who went on the become the Emmy-winning voice of Olympic figure skating broadcasts, died Thursday. He was 95. His son Edward confirmed the news to The Associated Press but didn’t not provide a cause or place of death.

After it was revealed that figure skaters were among those on the commercial plane that crashed on Wednesday, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser said the accident felt closer to home.

U.S. Figure Skating is confirming several members of its skating community are among the victims of the Washington D.C. plane crash. One local figure skater said she knows firsthand just how much these individuals meant to the sport.

Two Russian figure skating coaches with strong Connecticut ties were among those killed after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River Wednesday night.

A pair of young figure skaters, their mothers, and two Russian coaches were among the 60 passengers on board the jet.