KTLA weathercaster Mark Kriski suffers ‘mild stroke’ on heels of colleague Sam Rubin’s death
KTLA “Morning News” weathercaster Mark Kriski is on the mend after suffering a stroke — just weeks after longtime on-air colleague Sam Rubin died from a heart attack.
The local TV station reported the news about Kriski in a social media post on Wednesday, saying he’d had a “mild stroke” earlier this week and that the veteran reporter and nine-time Emmy winner was recovering.
“Mark checked in with us earlier on Wednesday and we’re happy to report that he’s in good spirits,” KTLA Channel 5 wrote. “He also wanted to thank everyone who has reached out.”
Kriski’s wife, Jennifer Gould, told TMZ that the seasoned weathercaster suffered the stroke early Monday morning at their home in Los Angeles.
She told the outlet he was hospitalized but was recuperating.
KTLA wrote, “All of us at KTLA are thinking of Mark and his family at this time and look forward to seeing him soon.”
Kriski’s health scare arrives on the heels of the death of fellow KTLA fixture Rubin.
Sam Rubin helped pioneer early morning TV broadcasts at Channel 5, and his coverage of Hollywood tended to be largely positive.
Veteran entertainment reporter Rubin died May 10 after going into cardiac arrest at his West Valley home. Rubin was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 64.
Rubin’s death devastated the tight-knit crew at KTLA and fans of the reporter.
Kriski and Rubin both joined KTLA’s “Morning News” in 1991, where they spent more than 30 years as on-air colleagues.
One day after Rubin’s death, Kriski wrote on the social media platform X, “There will never be another Sam Rubin. Love and will miss you my friend.”
The post is accompanied by photos of the show’s personalities together, recently and in their earlier days.
At the time of Rubin’s death, founding co-anchor Carlos Amezcua described him as “the connective tissue” that helped him, weather forecaster Kriski and co-anchor Barbara Beck reach their intended audience.
Kriski suffered a serious affliction in 2011, when he was out of commission for several months after contracting pneumonia followed by a hospital-borne “super bug” that landed him in the intensive care unit.
As he was preparing to go back to work, Kriski told The Times the illness was “a life and death experience that has given me a new perspective: On one hand, this was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. On the other hand, it is the best thing that has ever happened.
“You really do start to appreciate the little things in life.”
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