Lil Wayne Pays Tribute to Barry Melrose After NHL Icon's Death At Age 70, 'May You Rest Peacefully'

Rapper Lil Wayne paid his respects Thursday to former NHL player, coach and analyst Barry Melrose following his death at the age of 70.

In a post on X, Wayne called Melrose a "legend," and noted that the longtime ESPN personality's passing moved him to tears:

Melrose's wife, Cindy, informed ESPN NHL announcer Steve Levy on Wednesday that Melrose had died, three years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Several media personalities joined Wayne in mourning Melrose as well, including ESPN's Levy, John Buccigross, Linda Cohn, Mike Golic and Chase Daniel, and Fox Sports' Jason Smith:

Born in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Canada, Melrose played three seasons as a defenseman for the World Hockey Association's Cincinnati Stingers before playing for the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings over the course of a six-year NHL career.

Melrose then transitioned into coaching at the junior and AHL levels, leading to him being named head coach of the Los Angeles Kings in 1992.

Led on the ice by Wayne Gretzky, the Kings reached the 1993 Stanley Cup Final where they fell to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Melrose coached the Kings for parts of two more seasons, and later had a brief run as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning for 16 games during the 2008-09 season.

Hockey fans perhaps best remember Melrose for his role as an NHL analyst with ESPN, which is a position he held from 1995 until his retirement in 2023.

With his signature mullet hairstyle and big personality, Melrose stood out and made ESPN's NHL coverage must-see programming for all sports fans, even if they weren't necessarily regular followers of hockey.