"I knew that he had been battling some health issues, but I was just really shocked and saddened when I got the e-mail," former Braves star Dale Murphy said upon receiving the news that longtime Braves broadcaster Skip Caray died Sunday at his Atlanta home.

"And I was grateful for the many years I was able to be with Skip from 1976 until 1990.

"Skip saw the funny side of things and enjoyed making people laugh when we weren't giving them too much to smile about during some of those years that I was with the Braves."

John Kincade, who hosts the afternoon 680/The Fan Buck & Kincade sports talk show:

"The man never sugar-coated anything. If the Braves were playing terribly, he told you. Many people who work for teams or have covered them for a long time don't have the guts and integrity to do that."

Bob Hope, former vice-president of public relations, promotions and ticket sales for the Braves:

"I remember one time when we were both with the Hawks, Skip got me to join him before a game at the old Omni club. He'd have two or three drinks, but he could pull it off. ...

"He could get away with things other people couldn't. He could be a loose cannon, but he was collegial, and that mix really worked well in the South. That broadcasting team, him and Ernie [Johnson] and Pete [Van Wieren] they were the personality of the team. They were the people fans most identified with."

Mike Bell, an afternoon host at sports station 790/The Zone, who often mimicked Caray on the air.

"The last time I did it for him two weeks ago, he said, 'Chip does a better impression of me.' He always took it well."

Longtime Braves fan Charles Davidson, a public affairs specialist in Atlanta:

"He called it like a fan, but he was nobody's mouthpiece. He never tried to be anything he wasn't."

Jimmy Carter, former President and Georgia governor and a devoted Braves fan:

"Skip Caray was one of my favorite people, and I enjoyed both his wise personal counsel about the Atlanta Braves and major league baseball and, more frequently, his superb commentary on the games."

Ernie Johnson Sr., retired Braves broadcaster who long worked with Caray:

"I thought the last few games that Skip had done, he sounded like his old self. He was sounding good. In the beginning of the season, Lois [Johnson's wife] and I listened and thought he sounded weak. But then it picked up. I thought it'd probably work out for him the rest of the season doing home games.

"Pete [Van Wieren] and Skip and I had a lot of fun together on the road. We always looked forward to day games so we could go out to dinner someplace. One time we're sitting there, and Skip said, 'Ernie, can you imagine getting paid to do this?' We enjoyed it so much. He was a good friend."

Bob Neal, longtime Atlanta sportscaster and a friend of Caray's for 40 years:

"I talked to him Thursday. He was feeling good, relatively speaking.

"It's a huge loss. I'm still trying to cope with it. I just walked around my house [Sunday] night, not knowing what to do.

"One of my favorite memories of Skip was doing a Flames [hockey] game on radio with him in, like, 1973. [Flames broadcaster] Jiggs McDonald got stuck somewhere and couldn't make it to the game. So Skip and I did it. He didn't know the [players'] names; he just said 'our guy' or 'the bad guys.' It was a perfect example of Skip Caray: It didn't matter what the sport was; he just made his own interpretation of what was going on, anyway."

David Levy, president of Turner Sports:

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Skip Caray, whose Hall of Fame-worthy career behind the microphone was instrumental in the growth of Turner Sports from regional telecaster to national sports

broadcaster. While Skip's work on our NBA and NFL coverage were significant, his legendary calls and trademark wit on TBS baseball are what resonated most with fans nationally and will not soon be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Caray family."

Steve Holman, longtime Hawks broadcaster:

"Over the last several years, Skip has been kind of e-mail savvy, and we've been in touch a lot that way. He would e-mail after Hawks games and say, 'Well, we came in second again.'

"I look at him as the real pioneer in town. He's really the voice of Atlanta when you think about it. He [broadcast] Hawks games when the team came here, and he put the Braves on the map, really, on TBS.

"This will be my 24th year doing the Hawks, and I don't mind when I still run into people saying, 'You do a good job, but I still wish Skip was [working Hawks games]. There aren't a lot of people still around Atlanta who were here when he did the Hawks, but those who are, they still miss him. I just try to do my little part to keep his momentum going."

-- Staff writers Tim Tucker, Christian Boone and Rodney Ho contributed to this article.