Chauncy Glover, an Emmy-award-winning journalist and beloved news anchor at KCAL in Los Angeles, died unexpectedly at 39 years old, the station announced on Tuesday.
Glover joined the CBS affiliate in Oct. 2023 to anchor their evening shows after spending eight years in Houston as the first Black male main evening anchor at KTRK, the station said. He also previously worked at news outlets Florida, Georgia and Michigan, but was a native of Athens, Alabama.
Glover won three Emmys for his compelling storytelling, as well as his live reporting during Hurricane Harvey where he notably rescued a woman in labor and helped deliver the baby.
Glover had a passion for mentoring and outreach, starting "The Chauncy Glover Project" after witnessing a teenager die on the streets of Detroit after he and another teen attempted to rob a high school basketball coach.
"Chauncy's compassion and dedication to helping others, especially through the Chauncy Glover Project, changed countless lives and inspired so many young men to pursue their dreams," his family wrote in a statement released to KCAL. "His talent, warmth, and vision left an imprint on everyone who knew him, and the world is dimmer without him."
His organization is a "hands-on, extensive mentoring program that grooms teenage boys into upstanding gentlemen" and "focuses on dressing for success, manhood, etiquette, college readiness, tutoring, public speaking, community service and more," according to Glover's biography on the KCAL website.
Glover always knew he wanted to be a journalist, and his dad built him his very own mini "anchor desk" at the age of 5 for his newscasts that he would perform for his family every Sunday after church, his station bio said.
"Chauncy also had a passion for theater, having acted in several national and Off-Broadway plays. One of his proudest moments came when he was asked to honor the late civil rights activist Rosa Parks by singing at her funeral in Montgomery, Alabama," KCAL said.
The National Association of Black Journalists posted a statement about Glover's death, saying "he is remembered by members as a 'kind soul' and 'great encourager.'" He was the organization's 2016 Angelo B. Henderson Community Service Award honoree and past NABJ Salute to Excellence award winner.
Details surrounding his death have not been publicly released.
"We, Sherry and Robert Glover, along with Chauncy's beloved family, are devastated by the unimaginable loss of our beloved Chauncy," the Glover family wrote in a statement. "He was more than a son and brother—he was a beacon of light in our lives and a true hero to his community."
