KTLA news anchor Frank Buckley verified the passing of Sam Rubin on Friday afternoon, May 10, 2024. With tears in his eyes, Buckley announced on the radio that his colleague’s death was “surprising” and “difficult to understand at that moment”.
He stated that Sam was essentially KTLA and mentioned later that the newsroom was currently in tears. He was widely renowned in countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, among others. The reason for Rubin’s death was a heart attack.
Rubin interviewed Jane Seymour on Thursday while he was on the air, but he called in sick on Friday, so Scott Mantz filled in as the film critic. The network did not provide more information on Rubin’s passing, but a source who was aware of the situation informed The Times that he had experienced a heart attack at his home in West Valley on Friday morning.
KTLA stated that Sam was a significant presence in the local news and entertainment sectors, as well as a longstanding figure on Los Angeles morning television.
Who Was Sam Rubin?
Sam Rubin was born on February 16th, 1960. He was an American journalist who worked as an entertainment reporter for the KTLA Morning News and a correspondent for Reelz’s Hollywood Dailies.
| Name | Sam Rubin |
| Born | February 16, 1960 |
| Died | May 10, 2024 |
| Occupation | Entertainment journalist |
| Age | 64 |
| Spouses | Julie Anderson, Leslie Gale Shuman |
| Children | 4 |
He presented two shows like ‘Live From the Academy Awards and the celebrity talk show ‘Hollywood Uncensored with Sam Rubin‘. Rubin covered the entertainment sector for more than three decades and conducted interviews with numerous Hollywood celebrities. He also helped write two biographies, one about former First Lady Jacqueline Onassis and another about actress Mia Farrow.
Apart from his work on television, Rubin co-founded the Broadcast Film Critics Association, operated his own TV production company, and backed various charitable organizations. Rubin’s wife, Leslie Gale Shuman, and four children are alive after his passing. Rubin was a Hollywood regular who had an uncommonly long tenure at one network during his career.
Sam Rubin Career-
Rubin found himself in ethically questionable situations, such as in 1992 when he took on a small role in “The Jackie Thomas Show” shortly after promoting the sitcom by interviewing Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr in their bed.
Adored by his coworkers and numerous individuals in Hollywood, Rubin also had a past with The Times that involved numerous confrontations with different writers for the publication.
Rubin received a Golden Mic award, a lifetime achievement award from the Southern California Broadcasters Association, and was named best entertainment reporter by the Los Angeles Press Club. During his extensive career, he wrote two biographies on famous individuals, one focusing on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and another in 1990 about Mia Farrow which was written with Richard Taylor.
In 1996, Rubin joined forces with his rival Dorothy Lucey from KTTV to co-host the daytime syndicated talk show “Scoop with Sam & Dorothy,” running for a short period.
In February 1999, Rubin penned an article for The Times in response to Brian Lowry, who was a TV columnist at the time and is currently a senior entertainment writer for CNN.
Rubin recommended Lowry develop a sincere gratitude towards his audience and understand the significance of tone.
“Rubin said as he finished, “I must go and quickly dress up in my clown costume for another child’s birthday celebration that I will be performing at.” My clown outfit is stored in my closet, just beneath the shelf holding my three local Emmy Awards.
Love and Comments on Social Media about Sam Rubin-
Rubin’s life focused on his family, away from TV cameras and media disputes, as per his former colleague Amezcua. Amezcua mentioned that all of their five children were familiar with Sam and his family, emphasizing how generous Sam was with his time.
Jason Ball, ex-news director of KTLA from 2008 to 2021, referred to Rubin as larger than life and deserving of a memorial.
Ball mentioned that he sometimes clashed with Rubin regarding show ideas but welcomed his colleague’s efforts to challenge him.
Ball expressed that it was difficult for him, as he was always uncertain about the actions of the other person.
Nevertheless, I constantly thought he had the show’s best interests in mind, and I am uncertain about how KTLA would function without him. In a call to KTLA on Friday, Winkler said that he always made you feel special.
Actor Yvette Nicole Brown repeated that feeling in a social media post, describing Rubin as “a friend” and mentioning “I had a great time every time I went to see him at KTLA.”
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