What happened to Tony Valdez?

Tony Valdez died of end-stage kidney failure in his home at the age of 73. He was a tv presenter and reporter at Fox 11 KTTV from 1981 to 2016; making him one of the longest-serving reporters on the network.

“As a journalist, social issues have always been my beat and I am grateful for the decades of encouragement and support Fox has given me. As I leave Fox 11, I am thinking about what a privilege it has been to interview people who had important stories to tell,” he said after announcing his retirement.

He began his career as a news writer for KTLA and KCET before joining KTTV. He grew up in Downtown Los Angeles and lived in Hollywood. He was also a photographer who captured black and white images and also played saxophone as a hobby.

Valdez served as a longtime host of KTTV’s Midday Sunday, and also co-anchored weekends with Christine Devine in the 90s. He also hosted the crime series LA’s Most Wanted.

“Tony Valdez was a trailblazing reporter, advocate, and mentor. He was one of the first Latino journalists to break the color barrier in Los Angeles. And with pride, Tony said he spent 35 years, 5 months, and 4 days covering the stories of this city on KTTV. We are better journalists, and a better community, because of the coverage and compassion of Tony Valdez,” Fox 11 Acting News Director, Pete Wilgoren said in an official statement.