Today Show Mourns Longtime Producer Ric Romo's Death: 'Our Staff Is Just Heartbroken'

TODAY

The Today show team is mourning the loss of a beloved producer.

Savannah Guthrie announced the death of longtime producer Ric Romo on Monday's broadcast of the NBC morning show. He was 62.

"We lost a beloved member of team suddenly over this weekend. His name was Ric Romo," said the anchor, 49. "He worked at NBC since 1979, and more than 30 of those years were right here at the Today show."

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Al Roker added, "He really did it all. He ran our West Coast office. [He] also covered everything from the O.J. Simpson trial to earthquakes. I remember, I would work with him on a lot of the red carpet events we would do."

Roker, 66, recalled Romo's "infectious smile" and "wonderful attitude," and Craig Melvin noted that many celebrities requested to work with Romo over the years because he was "so well-known" and "so trusted."

"He was a great storyteller; he was incredibly funny. Ric knew everybody on the NBC lot, they knew him. He knew the security guards and all the way up to Johnny Carson himself," Carson Daly said. "He brought a smile to everybody's face, literally just when Ric walked in the door."

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Guthrie praised Romo for his talents when it came to writing, producing and mentoring. "His colleagues in L.A. say he was a ray of positivity of light and love - the most beloved person in the newsroom," she said. "[He was] never in a bad mood, always the calm in the storm. Our staff is just heartbroken at this loss. They were swapping memories yesterday, and those same words kept coming up: kind, upbeat, gracious, considerate."

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"No matter the story or the circumstance, no matter how stressful it could get, they say Ric was always happy and fun to be with, and he'd do anything for you," she continued. "He'd do anything for his family, friends, colleagues."

Guthrie concluded the tribute by sending love and condolences to Romo's loved ones on behalf of the show. Romo is survived by his wife of 40 years, Carol, his sister, Diana, and his brothers, Jim and Dan.