OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Sadly news of young people dying from heart issues has become all too common in recent times, and now it has struck the Fox News family.
Fox News Senior Vice President of News & Politics Alan Komissaroff, 47, suffered a heart attack and died in his home on Friday, Fox News reported.
“This is an extremely difficult day for all of us who worked closely with Alan, and we are completely heartbroken,” FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and FOX News Media President Jay Wallace said in a memo sent to staff.
“Alan was a leader and mentor throughout FOX News Media who was integral to our daily news operations and played an indispensable role in every election cycle. The recent midterm election coverage was easily one of the finest nights of special coverage he produced throughout his career. And he was the ultimate producer: breaking news, politics, special events — there was no steadier or more trusted colleague to be with in the control room during the most consequential events of our time, and his incisiveness and passion for news made our work better,” they said.
Absolutely terrible news. Alan was an incredible talent and advocate. Praying for his family.
Longtime Fox News Channel executive Alan Komissaroff dead at 47 | Fox News https://t.co/AOoTwAVpkc
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 20, 2023
Tonight the @FoxNews family remembers our beloved colleague Alan Komissaroff, Senior Vice President of News & Politics. Alan, we will miss you dearly and our thoughts are with your family. If you would like to help Alan's family you can visit: https://t.co/JILzXyBbJ3 pic.twitter.com/vM4NHswicI
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) January 21, 2023
Alan was a wonderful man. Loved by everyone. God Bless his family. We are heartbroken. 💔
Fox News Senior VP of News and Politics Alan Komissaroff Dies at 47 After Heart Attack https://t.co/uc9R7pgpxz
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) January 20, 2023
Missing our Senior Vice President of News tonight, Alan Komissaroff. He has passed away at the young age of 47.
Praying deeply that his wife Rachael and their beautiful children will feel overflowing love and support. pic.twitter.com/zJguGzB2x5— HARRISFAULKNER (@HARRISFAULKNER) January 21, 2023
Truly one of the best. Honored to have worked with him. God Bless him. Praying for his family. 🙏
Fox News Senior VP of News and Politics Alan Komissaroff Dies at 47 After Heart Attack https://t.co/c95bg9YOiY via @mediaite
— Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) January 21, 2023
This is a great shock and terribly sad. The smile you see in his photos was how he was: a great guy and a fine producer. We will all miss him and mourn his loss. Sincere condolences to his family, both at home and at Fox News. RIP https://t.co/Ro6TLMcrLl
— Brit Hume (@brithume) January 21, 2023
So sorry to hear that Alan Komissaroff, a longtime Fox News producer passed away. He was involved in so much of both our live Presidential Debates in 2016 — and I consider it a real privilege to have work with such a kind, encouraging and smart producer. RIP Alan. 🙏
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) January 21, 2023
Beloved longtime Fox News executive Alan Komissaroff passes away at 47 https://t.co/5HiwkvnQY5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2023
He started with the network on day one in 1996 as his first job when he left college.
“He would joke that he was a guy from ‘real Brooklyn’ and rose through the ranks to become a writer, producer, showrunner and eventually Senior Vice President of News & Politics, overseeing all political coverage,” the memo said. “His sharp sense of humor and quick wit throughout his incredible career also led to the many lifelong friendships he made here.”
“Our deepest condolences are with them and Alan’s entire extended family as we collectively mourn the loss of a wonderful man,” it said.
He is survived by his wife, Rachael, who he dated since high school, and their to children Ben, 17, and Olivia, 13.
The family has created a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
In October 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was interviewed by AdWeek about the network’s Election Night coverage.
“Election night is our Super Bowl, so we try to outdo ourselves every cycle. This year we have some really stunning graphics including on-set augmented reality race boards and a hyper-realistic 3D model of the White House made by the same company that designed Fortnite. But in the end, we want to display all the returns in a clear and concise way for the viewer. We also have some of the elements our viewers are used to, including Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Chris Wallace and all of our top analysts. Bill Hemmer at the ‘Billboard,’ and Shannon Bream doing Voter Analysis. This year we also have Harris Faulkner talking to a group of voters from around the country,” he said.
“We have very strict health and safety protocols in place regarding Covid-19, which include enhanced testing protocols and increased safety measures,” he said of coverage during the pandemic, though he did not indicate who were vaccinated.
“Everyone that will be on set will be tested multiple times in advance of election night and our control rooms have already been retrofitted with plexiglass dividers between each work station. We are following all safety guidelines which has been a priority since March. So while the behind-the-scenes elements might be different than 2016, there are procedures that we’ve all become accustomed to but for the viewer, the look and feel on-air will be seamless, just as it has been since the start of the pandemic,” he said.
“Our primary focus is to protect the health and safety of our staff, so election night will feature a responsible mix of in-person and remote elements. We are working together as a team to ensure we are adhering to all guidelines and following proper protocols as we plan our dedicated coverage surrounding Nov. 3,” he said.
He was asked if the network was prepared to over the election for a longer time, considering it ay not have been decided on Election Night, though no one could have predicted how contentious it would be.
“We are a 24-hour news channel so we are always prepared to continue following the story. It’s what we do. Our election night coverage doesn’t have an end time. We are prepared to cover the election for as long as it takes—and even a little longer than that,” he said.
