KARN radio reporter and newscast anchor Donna Kelley died at her home Sunday of natural causes, the station reported. She was 66.
Kelley, who worked at KARN for 16 years, coming to Little Rock from Orlando, Florida, was remembered as a “consummate professional” on Twitter, and hailed for her journalistic integrity in a statement by her employer, Cumulus Media.
“Donna was at her happiest when she was working on a news story and never let anything keep her from getting her job done,” said Cumulus Market Manager Keith Liesmann. “She was a friend to everyone she worked with.”
A friend, a teacher and a professional. She loved her job. She loved a great story. We loved her. @Donna_Kelley pic.twitter.com/HpAD2PyPGB
— Newsradio 102.9 KARN (@newsradio1029) June 27, 2016
State Sen. David Sanders, R-Little Rock, said in a Twitter post that he was “absolutely heartbroken at the news of Donna Kelley’s passing.” Also on Twitter, Little Rock public relations executive Jordan Johnson described called Kelley a “great journalist” and a “wonderful person.”
Kelley was the second KARN broadcast journalist to die in the past month. Gary DiGiuseppe was killed in a car crash on his way to work when a driver heading the wrong direction on I-430 struck his car.