Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss has died after a battle with cancer.

Buss, 79, had been hospitalized and had not attended any games this season after being a fixture in his luxury suite halfway up the arena behind the Lakers' bench. He maintained an extremely low public profile last year, emerging briefly to release a complimentary statement about Derek Fisher when the longtime Lakers guard was traded in a rare cost-cutting move in March.

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all visited Buss in the hospital at various stages after finding out about his condition, which was diagnosed at an unknown point last year.

Buss had been in the hospital numerous times the past two years. He underwent an undisclosed surgery last August and was admitted a month earlier for what the team called dehydration. He also was hospitalized in December 2011 for blood clots in his leg caused by excessive travel, according to the team.

Over the years, Buss gradually handed more power to his daughter Jeanie, in charge of the business side of the team, and son Jim, who oversees basketball operations.

Before his most recent medical issues, Buss continued to take part in decision making for the Lakers.

Buss weighed in on the hiring of Coach Mike D'Antoni in November and, a few months before that, was eager to meet Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, high-profile Lakers additions who visited him separately after being acquired.

"I just know how much he loved the game," said Clippers forward Lamar Odom, who won two championships in seven years with the Lakers, when he learned of Buss' declining health. "I know how much he put into it, whether it was traveling with us or just his effort that he put into us winning. He was the best. He was always close to his team and his players. It's tough to hear about that."