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Longtime Chicago WGN news anchor Allison Payne died on September 1 at the age of 57, WGN reported.
The Detroit native joined WGN in 1990 at the age of 25 and quickly made her mark on the big stories. She traveled to Kenya to trace the family roots of then-senator Barack Obama and joined Reverend Jesse Jackson on a trip to Ivory Coast.
During her 21 years at WGN, she won nine Emmy Awards and co-hosted both the station’s prime-time newscast as well as the noon news show.
She has also suffered from a series of health problems over the years, taking medical leave in 2008 after a series of mini-strokes, as well as bouts of depression. “It was brutal getting out of the house, I couldn’t get out of bed,” Payne told the Chicago Tribune.
Payne separated from WGN in September 2011 to return to Detroit.
Tributes quickly poured in for Payne. “Allison was a gentle, kind woman; a large anchor, which had an adorable smile. She has suffered from many health problems in recent years ”, Roland S. Martin wrote. “Gone so early.”
WGN Producer Vicky Baftiri tweeted: “I’m heartbroken. Allison Payne was my TV Godmother, my mentor, my beloved friend. I wish I could have saved her like she protected me when I started this crazy career. She was fiercely intelligent, beautiful, generous.
Afua S. Owusu, executive producer of “The Jam” on CW26, recalled look at Payne as “a little black girl living in Bolingbrook, IL.” My parents moved my bedtime to 9:30 p.m. so I could watch the evening news with @AllisonPayneTV & Steve Sanders…. Over a decade later, I started working at WGN. @allisonsnews took me under his wing. She was kind, gracious, and an incredibly talented journalist. Allison Payne understood the importance of uplifting others so that they too can have the opportunity to shine. “
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