Longtime Fox News executive Alan Komissaroff died at the age of 47 after suffering a heart attack at his home earlier in the month, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace announced Friday.
Komissaroff was a “Fox News original,” having joined the company at its conception in 1996, marking his first job after college.
Scott and Wallace announced his death in a memo to colleagues:
This is an extremely difficult day for all of us who worked closely with Alan, and we are completely heartbroken.
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.
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.
His sharp sense of humor and quick wit throughout his incredible career also led to the many lifelong friendships he made here.
Komissaroff reportedly suffered a heart attack while exercising at his home on January 8. His wife, Rachel, called 911 when Komissaroff told her he did not feel well. Ultimately, Komissaroff’s heart stopped as paramedics drove him to the hospital.
He spent his remaining days in the hospital in a coma where he never regained consciousness, according to a GoFundMe page supporting Komissaroff’s family.
“Alan was the family’s rock. He spent decades as a TV producer in New York; he loved his work, but he loved his wife and kids so much more,” the donation page reads.
Komissaroff is survived by his wife, Rachel, and their two teenage children, Ben and Olivia.