An Emmy Award-winning Florida news anchor, Todd Tongen, was found dead at his home, according to reports on June 3.
Tongen, who worked for WPLG, was 56 years old, the station confirmed.
Tongen’s wife away and was unable to reach him, and she asked a friend to check on him, the station said.
That’s when the police were called, and they found him on the morning of June 4.
He started working for WPLG, also known as Local 10, in 1989.
Tongen is survived by his wife, Karen, and his two sons.
“I’ve already skydived, bungee jumped, ridden on the back of a whale, flown with the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, so there’s not a lot left on my bucket list,” Tongen told the station in 2015. “Maybe, ah, crochet a sweater or, you know, I would love to, you know—travel would be big on my bucket list. I‘d like to go to Bora Bora and I’d like to—I‘d love to—be in another feature film. I’d like to be in a blockbuster film, even in the smallest role. I‘d just like, you know, a big hit, so I could say, you know, take my boys to it, ’There’s dad.'”
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WPLG Executive Sports Producer Dukie Lang wrote on Twitter: “Horrible day. Our Michael Putney said something so profound: ‘The cause of death is not yet known, the cause of grief is.’ Absolutely gutted. Every newsroom needs personalities like Todd Tongen. He was so creative and so funny. I could see a story & know it was a Tongen.”
A number of law enforcement agencies went on Twitter to express their condolences.
“The men and women of the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department extend their deepest condolences to the @WPLGLocal10 family as they try to understand and grieve the sudden loss of their friend. The PIO (Public Information Officer) community is especially struck, as Todd was always a supporter of our mission,” the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department wrote.
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