The Christmas holiday period began in a not-so-festive mood at Fox News. The cable news network is mourning the loss of Adam Petlin, the director of Chicago bureau operations, and Matt Napolitano from Fox News Audio.
Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott shared the news with staffers via two company-wide memos over the holiday weekend.
Petlin passed away on Dec. 23 at the age of 58 after a long illness. He was a Fox News original, starting as one of the first six photographers hired by the network in August of 1996.
Scott described Petlin as a “natural leader” and set the standard “for all major interviews and events.” He was part of the first Fox News camera crew to arrive on the scene in downtown Manhattan on Sept. 11. According to Scott, he “captured the devastation that immediately unfolded that day, delivering the very news that changed the world to millions of viewers.”
“He was an integral part of the field and production team and a gifted still and television photographer. Adam was also highly regarded by numerous correspondents and anchors that were fortunate enough to have been on location with him on nearly every major news story of the last 27 years,” said Scott.
Petlin is survived by his wife, Lauren Petlin (whom he met in the Fox News New York offices), his 18-year-old daughter Ava Petlin, and his 14-year-old son Luca Petlin.
Scott, in the other memo, noted that Napolitano also passed away on Dec. 23 after suffering from a short illness. He was 33 years old.
Napolitano was a one-person show at Fox News Audio. He wrote, produced, and anchored for the various Fox News Audio platforms.
He joined Fox News in 2015, starting as a writer for the SiriusXM-dedicated news channel Fox News Headlines 24/7. There, Napolitano excelled in his writing, producing, and on-air reporting skills, earning him a promotion to sports reporter for the service.
Napolitano returned after a brief departure from Fox News, joining Fox News Audio as an update anchor/reporter. He appeared on Neil Cavuto’s Coast to Coast on Fox Business Network, covering the latest sports stories and working with the Fox News affiliate news service Fox News Edge, where he voiced packages for various Fox affiliates.
According to Scott, Napolitano “showed off his talent outside the studio as well, having been a runner up on Jeopardy! and making it to the bonus round of Wheel of Fortune, but it was his love of journalism that we were lucky enough to benefit from throughout his time at Fox.”
Napolitano is survived by his husband Ricky, whom he married this past May.
At the end of both memos, Scott notes that employees needing grief counseling due to the saddening news can turn to the network’s Employee Assistance Program, which is available 24/7.
Read Scott’s memos to staff below.
Hi everyone, We have some very sad news to share with everyone this
Christmas Eve. Our Director of Chicago Bureau Operations Adam Petlin passed away yesterday at 58 after a long illness. Adam was a FOX News original and started here in August of 1996 as one of the first six field photographers hired. He was a natural leader and was quickly promoted to supervisor, setting the standard for all major interviews and events. Adam led the first Fox camera crew on scene in downtown Manhattan on September 114 and captured the devastation that immediately unfolded that day, delivering the very news that changed the world to millions of viewers.
When his former boss Sharri Berg and colleague Scott Wilder visited Adam in the hospital last week, he proudly shared photos of his phenomenal career at Fox which took him cross country and to spots all over the world including a trip to Antarctica and the South Pole on assignment with astronaut Jim Lovell. He was an integral part of the field and production team and a gifted still and television photographer.
Adam was also highly regarded by numerous correspondents and anchors that were fortunate enough to have been on location with him on nearly every
major news story of the last 27 years.
Adam is survived by his wife Lauren (whom he met in our New York offices) as well as his 18-year-old daughter Ava and his 14-year-old
son Luca.
Our Employee Assistance Program is available 24/7 for grief counseling, including throughout the holidays, and can be accessed
via the OneFOX app.
We will communicate arrangements and any other details once we receive them. As many of us gather with family and friends today,
hug your loved ones with even more gratitude.
In sympathy,
Suzanne
Hello team, It is with a heavy heart that I send this note. We have some more devastating news to share with the FOX News Media family. FOX News Audio’s Matt
Napolitano passed away yesterday after a short illness. He was just 33.
Matt did everything from anchoring to writing and producing for our audio platforms and loved being able to work in the journalism field that he trained for his entire life. He began his Fox career in 2015 as a writer for our dedicated SiriusXM news channel FOX News Headlines 24/7. There, he quickly demonstrated his writing, producing and on-air skills. He soon became a sports reporter for the service and further excelled in that position.
After a very brief departure, Matt returned to FOX News Audio as an update anchor/reporter, again writing, producing, and anchoring on all audio platforms. Matt also appeared on FOX Business Network’s Cavuto Coast to Coast with the latest sports stories and worked with the team at our affiliate news service FOX News Edge voicing packages for various FOX affiliates.
He showed off his talent outside the studio as well, having been a runner up on Jeopardy! and making it to the bonus round of Wheel of Fortune, but it was his love of journalism that we were lucky enough to benefit from throughout his time at Fox.
Matt is survived by his husband Ricky whom he married this past May.
Please know the Employee Assistance Program is available 24/7 for grief counseling — including throughout the holidays — and can be accessed
directly via the OneFOX app.
We will share the arrangements and any additional information we receive. Hug your loved ones with extra gratitude this holiday season and
beyond.
In sympathy,
Suzanne