KTLA news anchor Chris Burrous was found dead Thursday in a motel room in Glendale, California, police say. He was 43 years old.
His death is being investigated as a possible overdose, Glendale police said in a news release.
Burrous was best known for co-anchoring the KTLA 5 Morning News on weekends and was often seen reporting breaking news as it happened.
KTLA's President and General Manager Don Corsini and News Director Jason Ball released a statement about Burrous' death Thursday night:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family."
His co-anchor on the weekends, Lynette Romero, tweeted a photo of them taken last week of her and Burrous smiling on set.
“There are no words,” Romero said. “When we took this picture during our show I had no idea it would our last time together. You made me laugh until I cried. My tears now are for your sweet little girl, your wife Mai and your dear parents. We will miss you so...”
Sam Rubin also tweeted his condolences, calling his co-worker's death "heartbreaking and horrible."
"What Chris Burrous did was connect -- with all of us, every day, and most especially on the weekends” Rubin said. “He deeply loved his wife and his daughter; and all of you who watched him. A large community is in mourning."
Authorities say police responded to a call about 1:15 p.m. Thursday afternoon from a man who said a man he was with at the Days Inn, located at 450 Pioneer Drive, had passed out and was possibly not breathing, according to Sgt. Dan Suttles of the Glendale Police Department.
Glendale firefighters responded to the scene and found Burrous down inside a room and not breathing, Suttles said. CPR was administered and he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The original call to police stated Burrous may have overdosed, but detectives will await the Los Angeles County coroner's office report for a determination of the cause of death, Suttles said.
The son of a farmer and NASA engineer, Burrous joined KTLA in 2010 to co-anchor the weekend morning show along with reports during breaking news stories. His segments, "Burrous Bites," was a fun look into a viewer's favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant that he would try. He was also a contributor to the station's regular series "Made in California" that featured local companies that were making products right here at home.
He is survived by his wife, Mai Do-Burrous, a fellow journalist, and their daughter Isabella.
Photo: Twitter