As reported by KTLA 5: Sam Rubin, one of the most respected entertainment anchors in the nation, died suddenly on Friday at age 64.
Details regarding Rubin’s death have not yet been released. There is not a celebrity or star who has not been interviewed by Rubin on the red carpet or in the news station.
“The Sam that you saw on the air is the Sam that was off the air,” Rubin’s longtime colleague and friend Frank Buckley said in announcing his passing on live television. “Our hearts … are broken To all of us he shared his mornings with on television, and to those he worked with behind the scenes … we will not forget him. Quite simply, Sam was KTLA.”
Rubin’s sudden passing devastated co-workers and industry veterans, many of whom reflected on his impact during KTLA’s live coverage.
“Whenever a famous person passed away, he had the most touching and moving obituaries that he would write, and he would put their lives in perspective in such a way that was truly a talent,” recalled Eric Spillman, who also started at KTLA in 1991. “Now we’re in the position of having to talk about his career and his life and give it some perspective and give it the dignity that it deserves … I’m at a loss for words.”
Rubin’s KTLA bio reads:
Sam Rubin was the entertainment anchor for the KTLA Morning News, the No. 1 news program in Los Angeles.
Since joining the show in 1991, he established a reputation as someone who went beyond the entertainment headlines of the day. His insights and exploration of the deeper meaning and impact of the stories within the entertainment industry generated conversation within the business, as well as outside it.
Sam was a multiple-Emmy winner; has received the Golden Mike Award for best entertainment reporter; has received a lifetime achievement award from the Southern California Broadcasters Association; and has been named best entertainment reporter by the Los Angeles Press Club.
