Chris Burrous, the KTLA-TV anchor who appeared on the station’s Morning News program, has died at the age of only 43.
The untimely death of someone so familiar to viewers has a lot of people wondering more about the circumstances of Chris Burrous’s passing, including his cause of death. How did the anchor die? Although the official cause of death is still being investigated, Burrous’s death is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.
KTLA-TV reported on February 22 that Burrous died of methamphetamine toxicity.
Here’s what you need to know:
Burrous Was Found Unresponsive in a Motel
We have some sad news to report. Chris Burrous, a fixture on the KTLA 5 Morning News since 2011, passed away Thursday. He was a beloved member of the KTLA family and will be deeply missed. He was 43. t.co/sWEFQauNZO
Chris Burrous was found unresponsive in a Glendale, California motel. The press release issued by police brought up the prospect that drugs were involved in the anchorman’s death, although this has not been definitively confirmed. The original call for help “to the Glendale Police Department indicated the deceased had possibly overdosed,” the Glendale police press release says. It’s dated December 27, 2018 at 10:14 p.m.
In addition to meth toxicity, the coroner listed contributing factors to Burrous’s death as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, KTLA reported.
According to Glendale police, “On December 27, 2018, at 1:14 p.m. the Glendale Police Department received a call from a male that said that an individual he was with had passed out and was possibly not breathing. The caller indicated he was at the Days Inn in Glendale.” Glendale police told KTLA that they immediately realized it was Chris Burrous “because everybody knows Chris.”
.@chrisburrous was like the mischievous older brother I never had. While he might have tried to get me to say or do things on air that could have landed me in trouble with the boss, he was always so supportive and went out of his way to make me feel welcome.
That man was not identified in the release, but the individual who was not breathing was Chris Burrous, according to the release. “The Glendale Fire Department responded to the scene and found a man down inside a room suffering from a medical emergency. The man was not breathing and CPR was administered as paramedics prepared to transport him to the hospital. The man was later pronounced dead at the hospital,” the release continues.
Glendale police stated, “The deceased has been identified as Chris Burrous, a 43-year old man from Porter Ranch.”
The release continued as to cause of death: “The original call to the Glendale Police Department indicated the deceased had possibly overdosed. Glendale detectives are currently investigating the case and are thoroughly examining the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death. Detectives will be awaiting the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office report for a determination of the cause of death and to assist in bringing the investigation to a conclusion.”
On Friday, December 28, 2018, an autopsy was performed and the official cause of death was still not issued pending more investigation.
“A cause of death was deferred pending further investigation,” Sarah Ardalani of the coroner’s office said, according to The Daily News, which added that it could be several weeks for toxicology reports to be conducted.
Glendale police further told Fox News that the man with Burrous was a friend who administered first aid to him, and they added that there was no sign of suicide.
KTLA-TV released a statement on Burrous’s death, mourning him. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family,” it reads. “Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.”
Chris Burrous is survived by his wife and young daughter. He had been at KTLA for 11 years and held other television jobs throughout California and the U.S., KTLA reports, adding that he was particularly known for a food segment he did called “Burrous Bites.” You can read more about the family of Chris Burrous here.