A “passionate” Alabama TV anchor and former college football player who broke the infamous former US President Bill Clinton tarmac meeting with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch died Saturday, according to reports and his employer.
Christopher Sign, 45, was found dead Saturday morning by Hoover police in his Scout Terrace home, according to Al.com.
The death is being investigated as a suicide, Hoover Lt. Keith Czeskleba said, according to the outlet.
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“Chris was a tremendous leader in our newsroom,” wrote ABC 33/40 on Saturday in tribute to the reporter.
“He worked with our reporting staff on a daily basis, but also worked behind the scenes with the I-Team and with news managers on coverage of major events. You were very likely to get an email from him with a story idea in the middle of the night. He was passionate about journalism and showed it each and every day as he pushed himself and his colleagues to be the best.”
Sign had three boys with his wife Laura, according to the local ABC affiliate.
“Our deepest sympathy is shared with Christopher’s loving family and close friends,” said ABC 33/40 vice president and general manager in a statement.
“We have lost a revered colleague whose indelible imprint will serve forever as a hallmark of decency, honesty and journalist integrity,” he added. “We can only hope to carry on his legacy. May his memory be for blessing.”
While working as a reporter and a morning anchor at ABC affiliate KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr Sign was the first to report on the June 2016 meeting between former president Bill Clinton and then-attorney general Loretta Lynch on the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport in Pheonix during the presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Mr Sign wrote a book following the story called Secret on the Tarmac.
Mr Sign grew up near Dallas, Texas and worked as a reporter at ABC 33/40 between 2000 and 2005. He reported on stories such as the 2001 Brookwood mine disaster and hurricanes Charlie, Frances and Ivan.
He won an Emmy in 2014 for breaking news for his coverage of the shooting of two police officers in Phoenix.
Sign, who played offensive lineman at Alabama in the 1990s, wrote a book about the encounter named “Secret on the Tarmac.”