Sam Rubin, who Los Angeles station KTLA called “one of the most respected and connected entertainment anchors in the nation,” has died suddenly. He was 64.
The circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately released, though Variety said “a source close to the station confirmed that Rubin died at his home of a heart attack after doing his regular Hollywood news segments on KTLA’s 7-9 a.m. Morning News program on Friday.”
Rubin joined KTLA 5 Morning News in Los Angeles in 1991.
“The Sam that you saw on the air is the Sam that was off the air,” said morning anchor Frank Buckley when announcing his death on live television. “To all of us he shared his mornings with on television, and to those he worked with behind the scenes at KTLA, we will not forget him.”
“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,” said Eric Spillman, who started at KTLA the same time Rubin did. “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.”
“He made you feel special every single time [he interviewed you], and I am not the only person who felt that warmth,” said actor Henry Winkler. “When you were being interviewed by him there was nobody after you, there was nobody before you in that desk. It was you in that seat, and that was all that mattered.”
Rubin is survived by his wife, Leslie, and their four children.