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Los Angeles Lakers owner Buss dead

Posted at 11:03 AM, Feb 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-18 13:03:30-05

By Mark Morgenstein

(CNN) — Basketball Hall of Fame member Jerry Buss, who had owned the Los Angeles Lakers since the National Basketball Association franchise’s resurgence and dominance began in 1979, died in Los Angeles on Monday morning, a Cedars-Sinai hospital spokeswoman said. He was 80.

Buss died at 5:55 a.m., Cedars spokeswoman Nicole White said. He had been in poor health, suffering from an unspecified type of cancer.

The Lakers won 10 NBA titles under Buss’ ownership. Those championship teams featured such all-time greats as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

CNN’s Paul Vercammen contributed to this report from Los Angeles and Mark Morgenstein wrote it in Atlanta.

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