Sam Rubin attends the GRAMMY Gift Lounge during the 65th GRAMMY Awards At Tom’s Watch Bar on Feb. 2, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Veteran Los Angeles TV entertainment reporter Sam Rubin has died at age 64, KTLA reported Friday.
The award-winning Rubin was the entertainment anchor for the KTLA Morning News, a show he joined in 1991. Colleague and KTLA anchor Frank Buckley announced Rubin's death on air early Friday afternoon.
"The station is filled with great sadness," Buckley said. "Quite simply, Sam was KTLA. From his time on the KTLA5 Morning News to the many awards shows and other shows that he hosted, his laugh, his charm, most caring personality. To all of us he shred his mornings with on television and to those he worked with behind the scenes at KTLA, we will not forget him."
Rubin, who lived in Brentwood, is survived by his wife Leslie and four children.
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Details about a cause of death were not immediately available.
A decorated journalist, Rubin received the Golden Mike Award for best entertainment reporter and a lifetime achievement award from the Southern California Broadcasters Association. He also was named best entertainment reporter by the Los Angeles Press Club.
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The Occidental College graduate was a founding member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Rubin was a staple of the station's red carpet awards show coverage and also produced more than 100 episodes of the talk show "Hollywood Uncensored."
He supported several Southern California non-profit organizations, including the annual MS 150 Bay to Bike Tour. The event raises funds to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
"KTLA 5 is profoundly saddened to report the death of Sam Rubin," KTLA said in a post on X with a photo of 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 husband and father: the roles he cherished the most. Our thoughts are with Sam’s family during this difficult time."
Several Hollywood celebrities, many of whom were interviewed by Rubin, expressed their sorrow.
"He made you feel special every single time, and I am not the only person who felt that warmth every time they sat down at your desk," actor Henry Winkler said in a phone call with KTLA. "He made every human being feel so special and that got them to open up like a flower. He was interested in you as a professional and he was interested in you as a human being.
"He will just be so missed. I'm just overwhelmed."
The Critics Choice Awards issued a statement saying, "Sam's generous spirit, unfailing good humor and deep knowledge of `Hollywood' made him a legend in the entertainment business and a trusted friend to millions of viewers -- and to hundreds of stars who relaxed in easy conversation with him on his set at KTLA and on countless red carpets."
The Los Angeles Press Club said in a statement that the "Los Angeles journalism community has lost one of its shining stars. Entertainment reporting will not be the same without his distinctive voice."
Retired NBCLA forecaster Fritz Coleman spoke with Rubin in an interview about his comedy show one month ago.
"He had this big, bigger than life personality," Coleman said. "So he was perfect to be presenting the Hollywood news in Hollywood.
"I think people thought of him as a neighbor and a confidant and a friend and an oracle of wisdom about show business. So I think people will feel like they lost a family member. They watched him every morning."
