Reporter, 27, dies while covering Super Bowl in New Orleans just one year after wife was killed

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By Asiya Ali

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A young sports reporter tragically passed away while covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans - just one year after losing his wife in a fatal accident.

GettyImages-2197439278.jpgA 27-year-old sports anchor died while covering the Super Bowl. Credit: Michael Owens / Getty

Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old sports anchor for Telemundo KC and Tico Sports, tragically died while on assignment covering the highly anticipated Super Bowl in New Orleans, Today reported.

Telemundo Kansas City confirmed the news of his untimely death in a Facebook post shared on Thursday, February 6.

“We are saddened to share that Adan Manzano passed away yesterday in New Orleans while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl for both Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports,” the statement reads in part.

"Adan was a true professional and a rising star, who exemplified excellence in his work," the statement continued. "We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports, and the contributions he made to the local community."

The network added that they are “cooperating with authorities as they investigate this tragic event".

Manzano was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, a city just outside New Orleans, according to NOLA.com.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed that an autopsy had been completed, but the cause of death is pending further testing.

Authorities have not disclosed the circumstances of his death. A spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department told PEOPLE they had no available information, and requests for comment from the Orleans and Jefferson Parish coroners have not yet been returned.

The journalist's sudden passing has left a deep void in the sports community. Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas wrote on X that Manzano was "so young and fully of energy, and truly covered almost every event in the community".

"So very sad to see this," Lucas continued. "My condolences to his family and friends."

Originally from Mexico City, Manzano moved to the US to pursue his career in sports broadcasting.

He earned his degree from Kansas State University before joining the Kansas City Chiefs Television Crew as a sideline reporter at the start of the last NFL season, per KCTV.

The reporter's life was already marked by tragedy before his sudden passing. On April 11, 2024, his wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, was killed in a car accident, per WIBW.

She was remembered in an obituary as “the most kindest, caring, beautiful person. Her sparkling personality was contagious and would light up any room she walked into. She was a ray of sunshine and always had a smile on her face".

Manzano leaves behind the couple’s toddler daughter, Eleanor.

Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

Featured image credit: Kevin Sabitus / Getty