Sam Rubin, Longtime KTLA Entertainment Reporter...

Sam Rubin, a popular entertainment reporter on KTLA since 1991, died Friday

Published Time: 10.05.2024 - 23:31:38 Modified Time: 10.05.2024 - 23:31:38

Sam Rubin, a popular entertainment reporter on KTLA since 1991, died Friday. He was 64.

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 was a fixture in Hollywood who enjoyed rare longevity with a single station throughout his career. On camera, Rubin was unfailingly jocular and warm, often talking about his off-air activities with his wife and four children. Chatting with Rubin live on KTLA has long been a staple of any publicity tour for stars of movies, TV shows, concert tours and anything else involving entertainment.

Perry Sook, chairman and CEO of Nexstar, called the anchor “an icon” for the region and the industry.

“Sam was an icon in Los Angeles and the entertainment industry and he was a beloved member of our Nexstar Nation. My prayers are with his family and the KTLA family as we mourn his passing. He will be missed,” Sook said in a statement.

KTLA, one of the nation’s pioneering TV stations and the first commercial outlet to hit the airwaves on the West Coast in 1948, praised the journalist who became synonymous with the station.

“Sam was a giant in the local news industry and the entertainment world, and a fixture of Los Angeles morning television for decades,” KTLA said in an X post. “His laugh, charm and caring personality touched all who knew him. Sam was a loving husband and father: the roles he cherished the most. Our thoughts are with Sam’s family during this difficult time.”

KTLA 5 is profoundly saddened to report the death of Sam Rubin. Sam was a giant in the local news industry and the entertainment world, and a fixture of Los Angeles morning television for decades. His laugh, charm and caring personality touched all who knew him. Sam was a loving… pic.twitter.com/eG0tQ -

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As an anchor and reporter in Hollywood’s backyard, Rubin also covered the inner workings of Hollywood, usually offering a fan’s “gee whiz” perspective on the machinations of studios and networks and the excesses of the rich and famous.

“Everyone is going to feel like they lost a family friend,” publicist Jamie Gruttemeyer Symonds told Variety in response to the news of Rubin’s death.

In addition to his work as an anchor, Rubin’s television production company SRE, Inc. has produced more than 200 hours of broadcast and cable programming including “Live From” red carpet shows and 120 episodes of talk show “Hollywood Uncensored.”

In 1996, Rubin teamed with his crosstown rival, KTTV entertainment reporter Dorothy Lucey, as hosts of the daytime syndicated talk show “Scoop with Sam & Dorothy,” which ran for a few months.

Rubin was the recipient of a Golden Mic award, a lifetime achievement award from Southern California Broadcasters Association and winner of best entertainment reporter from the Los Angeles Press Club. He penned two celebrity biographies over his long career, one about Jacqueline Kennedy Onnassis and a 1990 book about Mia Farrow co-authored with Richard Taylor.

According to his KTLA bio, he supported several organizations including the MS 150 Bay to Bike Tour and supports L.A. schools and literacy programs.

A graduate of Occidental College, he is survived by his wife, Leslie, and four children.

Here is a clip of Rubin conducting a recent interview with actress Jane Seymour.