Texas Weather Forecaster Kelly Plasker Died by Suicide, Says Her News Station
Texas Weather Forecaster Kelly Plasker Dies 2 Years After Teenage Son's Death by Suicide
An on-air tribute for Kelly Plasker remembered her as a "bright spot in our weekend mornings, and in our lives"
A Texas-area news station announced that their weather forecaster, Kelly Plasker, died by suicide this weekend — two years after her son took his own life.
News station KCBD called Plasker "a bright spot in our weekend mornings" in an online tribute posted on Monday night, a day after her death. Plasker — "arguably the prettiest on our First Alert Forecast team," anchor Karin McKay wrote — had worked at the Lubbock station for three years.
It was during this time that her son, Thomas, died by suicide in 2018.
"Kelly was that spunky weather girl every Saturday and Sunday morning on Newschannel 11," McKay said. "What you couldn’t see on TV was a broken heart. I remember one day two years ago when she and I sat and talked in the studio and she told me her world would never be the same. She said, 'He was 19 years old, 2 weeks [away] from turning 20.' Kelly was referring to her son, Thomas, who took his life in February of 2018."
Plasker had a difficult time understanding why her son died by suicide, McKay said. In her grief, she used social media to reach out to others who may have been considering suicide.
"Now, this weekend, our sweet Kelly took her own life, a cry for help that she made very public on her Facebook page," McKay said. "But there were many other times that Kelly used Facebook in an effort to help other people avoid the road to suicide."
When reached by PEOPLE, the Lubbock County Medical Examiner said Pasker's official cause of death has not been released.
RELATED: Texas Weather Forecaster Kelly Plasker Dies 2 Years After Teenage Son's Death by Suicide
facebook Kelly Plasker
"The KCBD family extends our sympathy to Kelly Plasker’s family," McKay concluded in her tribute. "But we also express our gratitude for the time we shared with Kelly, someone who always brought joy to the newsroom."
Sharon Maines of KCBD penned an emotional post after Plasker's death that said she had "a heart of gold."
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Kelly Plasker
"My friend (and co-worker) died this morning and I’m absolutely heartbroken," she wrote. "Kelly Plasker had a smile as big as Texas and a heart of gold. She loved big and hurt deeply. Her heart was broken from the suicide death of her son Thomas, and then her father’s sudden death just months later."
"Her grief was a daily struggle but she put on that smile and persevered," Maines added. "If any of you are struggling please please please talk to someone. There are so many broken hearts today. "
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
