Kris Radcliffe, 51, a 22-year employee of KCEN 6 Waco-Temple-Killeen and current evening co-anchor, died Wednesday, the TEGNA station announced.
"KCEN and the Central Texas community lost a truly wonderful person," said Rob Dwyer, President and General Manager of KCEN/KAGS. "Kris Radcliffe, husband, father, grandfather and anchor for KCEN and the community will be missed. Kris was a kind and generous person who elevated everyone he was around. It is hard to say goodbye."
The station reports his family is asking for privacy after his sudden passing.
Co-anchor Lindsay Liepman opened the KCEN 10 p.m. newscast with a tearful tribute and said that TEGNA sister station KVUE Austin anchor Bryan Mays would deliver the rest of the news for the night with KCEN chief meteorologist Matt Farrell.
"If I had known yesterday was going to be our last newscast together, I would have ignored the cues to wrap from our producers and just laughed a little longer at all of his jokes," Liepman said on the KCEN 10pm newscast. "He always has lots of jokes. I would have thanked him for all that he's taught me and given to all of you, the viewers, but that is not how life works out. What you don't get to see on air is the time spent talking about our families and our group chats."
After mentioning KVUE's help, Liepman added, "I simply can't get through the newscast tonight, and I hope you understand."
Starting as the KCEN sports anchor in 2002, Radcliffe joined Texas Today as a morning anchor in 2007, eventually transitioning to evening 5, 6, and 10 pm in 2018.
"Kris was my amazing co-anchor on Texas Today, but also my dear friend," former KCEN anchor Jane Lonsdale wrote. "We just chatted and caught up on life earlier this month. Thank you for your bright light. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for being an amazing human. You will be so deeply missed."
In addition to anchoring, Radcliffe produced and hosted 200 episodes of the "Money Talks" segment. His knowledge as a RE/MAX realtor for 15 years might have been useful during that reporting.
For six years, from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, Radcliffe was named the “Waco Tribune-Herald On-Air Television Personality of The Year.”
According to Radcliffe's bio, the Torrance, California native and graduate of California State University at Long Beach leaves behind his wife Eden, two daughters Tori and Courtney, plus two grandchildren.
"On behalf of my sister, she wanted me to relay to you our profound thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love and support for her girls, their girls, and families," Eden said in a statement. "She's receiving and reading your texts and posts, but it's simply too difficult to respond at this time."
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