Sam Rubin, the a popular entertainment reporter on KTLA since 1991, died Friday. He was 64.
Rubin died at his home of a heart attack. His last appearance on KTLA was on May 9. He did not appear Friday on KTLA’s 7-9 a.m. “Morning News” as usual. KTLA reported that Rubin’s colleagues said he “showed no outward signs of illness” the day before.
Rubin was a fixture in Hollywood who enjoyed rare longevity with a single station throughout his career. On camera, Rubin was unfailingly jocular and warm, often talking about his off-air activities with his wife and four children. Chatting with Rubin live on KTLA has long been a staple of any publicity tour for stars of movies, TV shows, concert tours and anything else involving entertainment
KTLA, one of the nation’s pioneering TV stations and the first commercial outlet to hit the airwaves on the West Coast in 1948, praised the journalist who became synonymous with the station. KTLA news anchor Frank Buckley was visibly choked up as he reported Rubin’s death on-air Friday afternoon.
“Sam was a giant in the local news industry and the entertainment world, and a fixture of Los Angeles morning television for decades,” KTLA said in an X post. “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
As an anchor and reporter in Hollywood’s backyard, Rubin also covered the inner workings of Hollywood, usually offering a fan’s “gee whiz” perspective on the machinations of studios and networks and the excesses of the rich and famous.
“Everyone is going to feel like they lost a family friend,” publicist Jamie Gruttemeyer Symonds told Variety in response to the news of Rubin’s death.
Actor Yvette Nicole Brown echoed that sentiment in an X post, calling Rubin “a friend” and noting “I enjoyed all the times I got to visit him at KTLA
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