Police and community members are searching for answers after the death of an Emmy award winning anchor for ABC News was found dead in his home, reports CBS4 News.
Todd Tongen, a longtime ABC News anchor was found unresponsive in his home of Pembroke Park, Florida.
According to reports, Tongen’s wife says she was out of time and made a call to her friend to check on him. Shortly after, the police were called. The cause of death is currently unknown.
He was described by many as a south Florida icon.
The longtime journalist once refereed an arm wrestling match between Warren Buffett and NFL star Ndamukong Suh. He was known for his famed 1967 Checker Cab for his news skits, in which he drove some of the most famous celebrities around in, such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Wheel of Fortune” host Vanna White, Eva Mendes, Vin Diesel and Dana Carvey.
You can watch highlights of his segments below:
Tongen traveled extensively around the U.S. as a journalist, and was featured on ABC News’ “Nightline.”
The native Minnesotan embarked on his broadcasting career in 1983 as a disc jockey for a country music station before working in Grand Junction, Colorado at an adult contemporary station. For three years he was a feature reporter and weatherman in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he dined with future President Bill Clinton.
The two had crawfish together.
“I’ve already skydived, bungee jumped, ridden on the back of a whale, flown with the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, so there’s not a lot left on my bucket list,” Tongen told Local 10 in 2015.
“Maybe, ah, crochet a sweater or, you know, I would love to, you know — travel would be big on my bucket list,” he said. “I’d like to go to Bora Bora and I’d like to — I’d love to — be in another feature film. I’d like to be in a blockbuster film, even in the smallest role. I’d just like, you know, a big hit, so I could … take my boys to it, ‘There’s dad.'”
He is survived by his wife Karen and his two sons, Tyler and Ryker.
The Horn editorial team