One of sport’s most recognisable voices over many decades, Darrell Eastlake has died aged 75 after a battle with Alzheimer's and emphysema.

Known for his booming voice and vibrant style on TV and radio, he was a regular commentator for NRL State of Origin matches during the 1980s and early '90s, as well as for Formula 1, ironman, weightlifting and superbikes. He appeared on Wide World of Sports for more than four decades before retiring from the Nine network in 2005.

His excitable commentary resulted in him being pulled from the broadcast team at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

Mr Eastlake had battled Alzheimer’s and emphysema since 2010. His wife Julie told Nine Network's A Current Affair in 2016 that it had been heartbreaking to move him into a nursing home. "It's been so hard for me to tell him he can't come home," she said. "He gets very down because he thinks he's forgotten, but he's not forgotten, he's really and truly not.”