Reporter Katherine Creag Dies Suddenly At 47 – Longtime local news veteran Katherine Creag, a fixture on NBC 4 New York’s award-winning morning newscast “Today in New York,” died suddenly Wednesday. She was 47.

 

Reporter Katherine Creag Dies Suddenly At 47:

 

Katherine Creag, a beloved member of the News 4 family who was a stalwart of New York City’s mornings on “Today in New York” for years, passed away suddenly Wednesday evening.

Creag, who joined WNBC-TV in 2011, worked Wednesday morning and was not ill in the days before her shocking death, the station said in a Thursday release. Her work day typically began at 4 a.m., and many New Yorkers woke up to her familiar face on their television screens.

WNBC said Creag, known for her distinctive voice and hearty laugh, passed away unexpectedly overnight. A cause of death has not been announced.

“For ten years Kat was one of our cornerstones, always willing to help in any situation, whether it was a colleague in need or a shift that needed to be covered,” said WNBC’s vice president of news, Amy Morris, in an email to the staff. “She was thoughtful, funny and relentless. And even on the toughest days she was a bright light, quick with a kind word and a smile.”

Creag earned multiple Emmy, Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards for her work both solo and as a part of a team during a career that took her to stops in Dallas, Charlotte and Syracuse.

 

 

Veteran Reporter Katherine Creag, Who Appeared On ‘Today In New York’ For Years, Dead:

 

Creag was a Manila, Philippines, native who worked at CBS 5 (WTVH) in Syracuse more than 15 years ago, before it merged with NBC 3 (WSTM) to become CNY Central.

“This is just so sad. I had the pleasure of working with this wonderful lady when she was just beginning her career at WTVH,” Lou Gulino wrote on Facebook. “She was bright, hard-working, and just a pleasure to be around. It is so heartbreaking knowing that she leaves three young children behind.”

“This one hurts,” added former WTVH news producer Ryan Fisher, who worked with Creag at Fox 5 in New York. “Katherine Creag was just the best. Like just the best… My first memories of Kat are from when I didn’t know her, but I watched her as a reporter in Syracuse, at the station that would later hire me for my first producing job. Even though we never worked together there, it was the foundation for so many ‘familiar’ connections once she arrived in NYC and we met each other in the middle of the night. You better damn believe I’ll be having a drink for you today, Kat. The overnight shift will never, ever be the same without you, anywhere.”

The native of the Philippines maintained a sense of humor about her pre-dawn shift, illustrated in her Twitter bio: “Sleep, what’s that?! I go to work when you’re coming home from the club.”

The 1996 NYU graduate spent five years at Fox before joining WNBC in 2011, where she quickly became known for her distinctive voice and hearty laugh. She is survived by her husband of 14 years, Bill Gafner, and their three young children — a son and two daughters.

“Kat was the most genteel person I’ve ever met in this industry,” tweeted NBC colleague Myles Miller. “Her smile, her laughter, and her tenacity made her truly one of a kind.”