NORTHRIDGE, California (Ticker) -- Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn died Monday evening, three days after suffering a brain injury in a fall at his home. He was 85.

The Hall of Fame broadcaster underwent a pair of surgeries Saturday to alleviate brain hemorrhaging but he remained in a coma and doctors termed his condition "beyond critical" earlier Monday.

The end came Monday evening and the public announcement of his death was littered by team personnel, including general manager Mitch Kupchak and legend Elgin Baylor.

"This is not a good day for Laker fans ... quite simply, he was the best," Kupchak said.

"Chick was a wonderful person," Baylor said. "He was a compassionate and lovable person who really cared about people. It's a real tremendous loss. He'll be with us in spirit. It was just wonderful knowing him and his family."

NBA Commissioner David Stern was quick to issue a statement expressing his sorrow.

"Generations of fans were brought to the NBA by the voice and vision of Chick Hearn," he said. "From Wilt and West to Magic and Kareem to Shaq and Kobe, Chick was a fixture as the 'Voice of the Lakers' and a legend in his profession. His colorful descriptions of the game transcended the sport and have had an indelible influence on basketball and broadcasting itself. The NBA Family mourns his loss and he will be deeply missed."

Hearn underwent surgery Saturday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center to relieve intercranial bleeding in his cranium. The second alleviated a blood clot in his brain.

Taban said at that time that Hearn's prognosis was "not good."

Paramedics rushed to Hearn's home in Encino shortly before 8 p.m. EDT on Friday after his wife, Marge, and neighbors saw him fall in his yard.

This was the latest in a series of health problems Hearn has suffered in recent months. He underwent heart surgery last December and hip surgery in March, but returned in time to broadcast the Lakers' playoff run to their third straight NBA title.

Hearn's streak of broadcasting 3,338 games over 36 years ended when he missed a contest against the Houston Rockets on December 20 to undergo heart surgery to repair a blocked aortic valve.

In his 42nd year behind the microphone, Hearn became just the third broadcaster inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. His remarkable streak of Lakers' games began on November 20, 1965.

Hearn has been a part of nine championships. Some of the Lakers stars whose games he has described are Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

"He created an interest, a following, he made it so exciting," Baylor said. "He was a man of compassion, he loved people, he enjoyed life to the fullest."

"He had a tremendous career and a long life doing what he loved to do," Sacramento Kings television announcer Bob Miller said. "He was an inspiration to sports announcers not just in Southern California, but all throughout the country. There is nothing more satisfying in life than doing what you love and doing it well, and that personified Chick. I can't believe all that ahppened to him in the past year, but at least his final broadcast was another championship game."

Hearn is survived by his wife, Marge.