Brenda Buttner Dead: Fox News Host Dies of Cancer at 55

Fox News senior business correspondent and host Brenda Buttner has died at the age of 55, her colleague, Neil Cavuto, tearfully announced Monday on his show. Buttner had been battling cancer.

“When is the last time you laughed at a business show? I don’t know,” Cavuto said, while choking up. “Business journalism is never gonna be the same. I just don’t know, now that she’s gone, whether we’ll ever be. Brenda Buttner. Gone way too soon at 55.”

She worked at Fox News for more than 16 years and was the host of “Bulls & Bears,” a Saturday morning business show. Buttner also often contributed to Cavuto’s show, “Your World With Neil Cavuto.”

Here’s what you need to know about Buttner:


1. Buttner Often Thanked Her Fans for Their Support During Her Battle With Cancer

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Brenda Buttner has died of cancer at the age of 55. (Fox News)

Brenda Buttner had been battling cancer since at least late 2015, when she talked about her fight with the disease on Twitter for the first time.

Buttner’s fans often asked her for updates when she was not on TV because of the illness and she responded to them, thankful for the support, thoughts and prayers:

Several colleagues paid tribute to Buttner after her death.


2. She Is Survived by Her 2 Daughters, Rebecca & Rachel

Buttner is survived by her two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel. She posted a photo with one of her daughters after she photo for the first time in November.

“Little things in life that defined the big things in Brenda’s life,” Cavuto said in his tribute. “A woman who would gloss over talking to financial and political kingpins as just another day at the office, far more eager to share her plans for girls night out with her daughters. No bravado, just brave, incredibly brave.”

In mid-January, she wrote on Facebook, “It may seem like a cliche, but it’s true. I am blessed with each day I awake and see my two beautiful daughters,” according to the Ridgewood Daily Voice.

She and her ex-husband, Tom Adkins, were married from 2005 to 2010. Adkins is a political pundit who has also appeared on Fox News.

Buttner was a resident of Ridgewood, New Jersey.


3. She Was Born in California & Graduated From Harvard University Before Becoming a Rhodes Scholar

Buttner was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Watsonville.

She graduated from Harvard University in 1983 with a degree in social studies. After graduating from Harvard, Buttner spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Bailliol College at Oxford University in England. She earned degrees in politics and economics while there.

She then went into the TV business.

“She took stock of life much more than any stock in life. It’s what separated her from everyone else in this business. Not just dollars, you see, Brenda had depth,” Neal Cavuto said. “Let it be known that Brenda Buttner made us want to watch a business show with heart. Her heart, her spirit. She democratized dollars and just made sense.”


4. She Started Her TV Career at the NBC Affiliate in Reno & Spent Time Editing a Motorcycle Magazine

Buttner began her career in TV at the NBC affiliate KCRL in Reno, Nevada.

She also spent time working as the feature editor for Cycle World, a magazine for motorcycle enthusiasts. According to Neil Cavuto, Buttner loved motorcycles and quit her “astonishing broadcast career” to take the job editing the magazine because she thought it would be fun.

“We used to joke that Brenda had sort of a different bucket list in life,” Cavuto said in his tribute to her. “When you saw hers you realized maybe yours was the odd one, because Brenda’s captured what really mattered in life, like how much she loved animals.”


5. She Hosted ‘The Money Club’ on CNBC Before Moving to Fox News in 2000

Before moving to Fox News in 2000, Buttner worked for several years at CNBC, according to her bio. She hosted the show “The Money Club” at that network. She was among the first women to host a business news show on a cable channel.

“Women are not afraid to simply admit they don’t know about something, which men rarely do,” Buttner told the Sun-Sentinel in 1997. “So women realize there is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to understanding an investment. Women also tend to be better at research and take the whole activity of investing more seriously. They don’t take ‘hot tips,’ know what their goals are and are not afraid to hold their investments for the long term. That is probably the most important key to successful investing.”

Buttner also worked as a Washington correspondent for CNBC from 1990 to 1993 and as general correspondent from 1995 to 1998. She won a “Cable Ace” award in 1996 for best business programming and a National Clarion Award in 1990 for best news story.

In addition to her TV work, Buttner’s writing about personal finance was published in several outlets, including The New York Times and Ladies’ Home Journal.