Former ‘Good Day Sacramento’ anchor Chris Burrous dies after passing out in motel room

Chris Burrous, a Los Angeles television news anchor who formerly appeared on “Good Day Sacramento,” died Thursday. He was 43.

The Glendale Police Department received a call at 1:14 p.m. from a man at a Days Inn in Glendale who said Burrous had passed out and had possibly overdosed, according to a department news release. The cause of death is still being investigated.

First responders determined that Burrous was not breathing upon their arrival and performed CPR. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.

Burrous was born to a Central Valley farmer and a NASA engineer and graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism, according to KTLA.

He was hired on at CBS 13 in Sacramento in the mid-2000s, where he appeared on the morning show and “Good Day Sacramento.”

Broadcasts on “Good Day Sacramento” after Burrous’ death remembered him as funny and unpredictable.

“You never knew what Burrous was going to say or do next, which kept viewers engaged,” Good Day Sacramento said in a news article.

Burrous had been an anchor at KTLA 5 since 2011, covering breaking news including the recent Woolsey Fire and the Thousand Oaks bar shooting, and he was well-known for his Burrous’ Bites food review segments.

KTLA President and General Manager Don Corsini and News Director Jason Ball issued a joint statement Thursday night, saying: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. 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.”

He is survived by his wife, Mai Do-Burrous, and his 9-year-old daughter, Isabella.

This story was originally published December 28, 2018 at 8:32 AM.