A 27-year-old ABC News producer died Friday after battling undisclosed health issues for several months, the network announced Tuesday.
Alexa Valiente had worked for ABC News for six years and won an Emmy in 2018 for her work on the “20/20” story “Las Vegas: Heartbreak and Heroes.” Valiente, who initially joined the network as an intern, and her digital integration team worked on several shows, including “Nightline,” “20/20,” and “Popcorn with Peter Travers,” according to her death announcement from the news station.
“That she is gone at 27 is just cosmically wrong. On a mission to visit a new city every month, #jetsetalexa came at life with a humanity that made room for all of us who were lucky enough to fly in her orbit. Alexa’s flying somewhere else now, but she’s always in our hearts and always @twentysomethingchic,” ABC News host Peter Travers said in a Facebook post.
In light of Valiente’s death, colleagues at ABC News created a GoFundMe to help her family cover medical bills and funeral costs. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser has garnered nearly $10,000, far exceeding its $1,000 goal.
“Always a friendly face in the halls, she had an upbeat spirit, a curious and brilliant mind and a real passion to see the world,” ABC News president James Goldston said. “She will be deeply missed.”
Alexa Valiente, a producer for @ABC News for six years, passed away at 27 over the weekend.
She was known for her infectious laugh and one-of-a-kind personality that stretched far beyond the walls of the newsroom. https://t.co/fJVnKAnrUM pic.twitter.com/mu5kHL20zS
— ABC News (@ABC) April 8, 2019
[Featured image: Alexa Valiente/GoFundMe]