R.I.P.: Todd Tongen, WPLG News Anchor Was Suicide Victim

Todd Tongen

UPDATE JUNE 7, 2019:  WPLG News anchor Todd Tongen committed suicide this week because he was afraid he suffered from the same form of dementia that took his mother’s life in 2017, his family claims.

Original Posting...

WPLG-Channel 10 announced Monday the death of news anchor Todd Tongen, an on-air presence since 1989. Tongen was 56, according to The Miami Herald.

Tongen missed Sunday morning’s broadcast. In a story on its website, the station said his wife, Karen Tongen, who was out of town, couldn’t reach him. A request of a friend to check on him led to police finding him.

The station said it didn’t know a cause of death.

WPLG Executive Sports Producer Dukie Lang tweeted, “Horrible day. Our Michael Putney said something so profound: “The cause of death is not yet known, the cause of grief is.” Absolutely gutted. Every newsroom needs personalities like Todd Tongen. He was so creative and so funny. I could see a story & know it was a Tongen.”

After beginning his career in his native Minnesota, Tongen worked in Grand Junction, Colorado, and Little Rock, Arkansas, before coming to South Florida in 1989. Originally, Tongen reported the weather, and his station biography claims he’s proudest professionally for his Hurricane Andrew coverage. He also became known for his “10 Taxi” features in which he drove celebrities around in a 1967 Checker cab.