Longtime radio voice of the Toronto Blue Jays Tom Cheek died Sunday after a long fight with brain cancer. He was 66. Cheek served as the Blue Jays play-by-play announcer since the club's inception in 1977 up until last summer, when the passing of his father and his health problems took him away from the job. "It's difficult to put into words the overwhelming sense of grief and loss shared today by the Blue Jays family, the city of Toronto, the extended community of Major League Baseball and its many fans," said Toronto President and CEO Paul Godfrey through a team release. "Tom Cheek has provided the soundtrack for the most important moments in this team's history, with his choice of words and intonation always perfectly suited for the occasion." On August 24 of last year Cheek became just the seventh inductee into the Blue Jays' Level of Excellence, and just the second non-uniformed member in the elite class. He broadcast over 4,500 games for Toronto, including 4,306 consecutive regular season games and an additional 41 postseason contests. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame recently established the Tom Cheek Media Leadership Award, which will honor media members who help promote Canadian sports "in an extraordinary and enduring way." Also, a website named www.tributetotom.com has been created, where "Tribute to Tom Tribute Wrist Bands" can be purchased to help fund cancer research. "He was far more than just an outstanding announcer," Godfrey said. "He was a great goodwill ambassador for baseball in Canada. His love for the game, which radiated through his words on the radio, captivated fans across the country and helped to grow the sport from one coast to the other." Cheek is survived by his wife Shirley, their three children and seven grandchildren.