Tennis Historian, Journalist Bud Collins Dies At 86

BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) -- Bud Collins, the tennis historian and American voice of the sport in print and on TV for decades, has died. He was 86.

His wife, Anita Ruthling Klaussen, says in a telephone interview that Collins died Friday at home in Brookline, Massachusetts, after suffering from Parkinson's disease and dementia.

Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994, Collins was well-known for creative player nicknames and turns of phrase that were as colorful as his trademark bow ties and one-of-a-kind pants created from cloth he collected around the world.

He also paved the way for newspaper reporters moving into broadcasting, becoming a familiar face to U.S. television audiences waking up for ``Breakfast at Wimbledon'' on NBC.