José Suárez Dies: Telemundo Executive Was 55

José Suárez, president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49, and Telemundo Ft. Myers–Naples, died. He was 55.

The Telemundo executive died on Wednesday, August 19, following a helicopter crash in Kenya, NBC6 reports.

“We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that José was killed in a helicopter accident in Kenya,” NBCU Newsgroup Chairman César Conde, NBCU Local Chairman Valari Staab, and Telemundo Station Group President José Cancela said in a statement.

The statement continued, “José was an exceptional colleague who cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the important role our stations play in people’s lives. He brought energy, humor, warmth and a strong sense of purpose to his work, and his impact was felt far beyond the stations he led. Our hearts are with his loved ones, and with all of José’s colleagues and friends who are grieving this terrible loss.”

Suárez was previously the President and General Manager of the Telemundo stations in Fresno (KNSO), Sacramento (KCSO), and Utah (KULX). In his position, he led all station operations, including news/digital, sales, marketing/promotions, human resources, community affairs, and technology/operations.

Before that, Suárez worked at NBC 6 / WTVJ, where he worked as Director of Creative Services and Local Programming, Executive Producer for the station’s local weekday entertainment show 6 in The Mix, and as an Executive Producer for NBC 6’s local weekday newscasts.

Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Suárez worked as News Director for CW South Florida / WSFL, Fox Toledo / WUPW and NBC 3 San Angelo / KSAN.

Over the years, Suárez received numerous awards, including a Suncoast Chapter Emmy award for “Outstanding Station Promotion Image” for his work at NBC 6, three Cleveland chapter Emmy awards for “Outstanding Daily Newscast” (Market 41+), and numerous Associated Press awards for his work at Fox Toledo / WUPW.