NBC Reporter Katherine Creag Dies 'Suddenly' at Age 47: 'She Was a Bright Light'
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NBC New York reporter Katherine Creag has died at the age of 47, the network announced Thursday.
Creag, who first joined WNBC in 2011, died "suddenly" Wednesday evening. Her cause of death has not yet been revealed.
"For ten years Kat was one of our cornerstones, always willing to help in any situation, whether it was a colleague in need or a shift that needed to be covered. She was thoughtful, funny and relentless. And even on the toughest days she was a bright light, quick with a kind word and a smile," WNBC's vice president of news, Amy Morris, wrote in an email to the staff.
Katherine Creag, a beloved member of the News 4 family who was a stalwart of New York City’s mornings on “Today in New York” for years, passed away suddenly Wednesday evening.https://t.co/Xo2sE8Jus5
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 11, 2021
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Creag graduated from New York University in 1996 and spent five years at Fox News before joining NBC. The Manila-born reporter earned various awards throughout her career, including multiple Emmys and Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Following the news of her death, Creag's colleagues in the New York journalism world honored her on social media.
"This is just heartbreaking news," Michael Sotto, executive producer of Spectrum News NY1, wrote on Twitter. "Whenever I had to work the morning shift and ran into Katherine, I knew it was going to be a good day. She was so warm and always smiling, even at 3:00 a.m."
This is just heartbreaking news. Whenever I had to work the morning shift and ran into Katherine, I knew it was going to be a good day. She was so warm and always smiling, even at 3:00 a.m. https://t.co/ZRnu6TXDPu
— Michael Scotto (@mikescotto) February 11, 2021
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"The kindest person who always made me feel welcome 'in the field' when I became a reporter," added Newsday reporter Cecilia Dowd. "Always with a smile and a laugh, no matter the hour, no matter the deadline. Thinking of her loved ones. Just devastating."
PIX11 reporter Kirstin Cole said Creag was "the kindest and most loving mother and human."
"Kat we love you and cannot believe you've left us," she wrote on Twitter. "The morning news teams in NYC are a close bunch of middle-of-the-night risers. You are the kindest and most loving mother and human. I will hold your smile in my heart always."
Creag is survived by her three young children, a son and two daughters, and her husband of 14 years, Bill Gafner.
