Texas news anchor pays emotional tribute to his co-host as he announces his death

The team at Central Texas television station KCEN mourned the loss of one of its members live on Oct. 30, announcing the death of co-host Kris Radcliffe.

Co-anchor Lindsay Liepman of KCEN, an NBC affiliate in Temple, Texas, became visibly emotional as she announced during Wednesday's newscast that Radcliffe had “unexpectedly died.” He was 51.

“Kris sat right next to me in the chair and he was the best. He was just the best,” Liepman said. “Funny, real and clever. I looked forward to working with Kris every night and I think that shows at home too. We had fun here. Kris loved this community and never took his role for granted.”

Liepman said that if she had known that Tuesday would be their last newscast together, “I would have ignored our producers' hints at the conclusion and just laughed a little longer.”

Holding back tears, Liepman said she would have liked to thank him for everything he taught her – “but that's not how life works,” she said.

She recalled his time off screen and expressed her condolences to his family, including Radcliffe's wife, daughters and grandchildren, and his sister.

At one point, Liepman almost broke down as he announced that others would be stepping in to help broadcast that evening's show.

“I just can't get through the newscast tonight and I hope you understand that,” she said.

She continued by saying that Radcliffe's death was “a true loss for our community.” He was then honored with a video montage about his life and his work as a mentor at the news station.

In a message to Today.com, Liepman said: “Announcing his death to our viewers was the hardest day of my career and I had to do a lot of hard things.” I didn't want our viewers to hear the news from anyone else. He would have done the same for me.”

She added that it was so easy to love her colleague and friend. I have worked with many co-hosts and he was truly a top market presenter in a small town. He chose to live in Waco for his family and from the minute I met him we clicked. We had each other's backs on and off the air. I could really be myself around him and I know he felt the same way.”

“In this business there is a special bond between people. There is a big gap in our newsroom. And that shows how big his influence was. “I will remember most of all the moments he made me laugh even on my worst days,” Liepman added. “And that’s the thing. As a news anchor, you can't let your bad days show. He was our rock and I leaned on him.”

She called him “an outstanding journalist” and said they were just nominated for a regional Emmy for their coverage of a tornado that hit their city. “I hope he knows that on the worst of days he made our community feel safe, seen and heard,” she concluded.

Radcliffe, who anchored the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. shows, had worked at KCEN for 22 years, according to the station. He is “blessed to have an amazing wife” as well as two daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter. A cause of death has not been announced at this time.

Other journalists from the station also paid tribute to Radcliffe on social media.

Baylee Bates, who wrote that she “had the privilege of being one of Kris' co-hosts,” shared a slideshow full of photos of their time together.

Reporter and anchor Sydney Dishon wrote that she was “at a loss for words.”

“Kris, I will miss all the advice you gave me in my early twenties to help me navigate life. I will forever cherish your words,” she wrote in part. “I still can’t believe this is real. The newsroom wouldn't be the same without you. They made KCEN feel like home.”

A statement on behalf of Radcliffe's wife, Eden Radcliffe, was shared on her Facebook profile, thanking people for their “tremendous show of love.”

“On behalf of my sister, she wanted me to convey to you our deep gratitude for the tremendous love and support for her, her girls and their families,” Eden Radcliffe’s sister Libby wrote. “She receives and reads your texts and posts, but it is just too difficult to respond at the moment.”

Kris Radcliffe began his decades-long career at KCEN in 2002 as a sports anchor. He then became morning anchor for Texas Today, where he held that position for nine years before moving to the evening anchor role.