‘Today’ Co-Hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb Tear up Remembering Colleague Who Died of Coronavirus

NBC recently revealed that they had tragically lost one of their own to the coronavirus, leaving the current global situation hitting close to home. Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb teared up as they remembered their colleague Larry Edgeworth. In a sweet tribute, Guthrie narrated a package dedicated to sharing the success Edgeworth had with the network and what type of person he was.

“When Larry Edgeworth said he had your back, you knew you were covered. It wasn’t just knowing that he’d deliver on the sound, it was that, in any situation, he was on-guard to make sure you were OK, mentally, physically. He was a protector. He was a bear of a man, and a teddy bear at the same time.”

“Larry complained if you snapped his picture, hardly cracking a smile, but that was a front. His real smile was infectious and his voice echoed across the newsroom,” she continued. “You always knew when Larry was in the house with a hello and a hug. He’d ask about your family and proudly share tales of his own sons. Alex and Miles, and his wife, Crystal.”

She added that, “Larry lugged his gear across the planet and up the highest peaks, recording the sounds of war, natural disasters, presidential campaigns, Olympic games, connecting with those he met along the way.”

After her sentimental piece aired, she and Kotb had tears in their eyes as both shared more memories the two had of him. Guthrie went on to tell Kotb and viewers the time they were on “the campaign together” 11 years ago.

“We were on the campaign together back in 2008 and we traveled for two solid months together,” she recalled. “Every morning, every night, we were all together. And he was unfailingly kind and professional and loving. He just had this way of feeling like he had your back, and you were safe in his hands in every way.”

“My heart goes out to his family and all our colleagues,” she added. “We really, really loved Larry and he loved us. And I think that’s why it hurts, why it’s so hard.”

Kotb added to that saying what type of person he was, calling him an individual who always checked in on others. In a time where people “constantly talk about how they’re doing and how they’re feeling,” she said Edgeworth was always asking how others were.

Guthrie and Kotb weren’t the only members of the peacock station to pay tribute. During the Friday episode of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, he also recalled the memories he shared with the audio engineer calling him a “gentle giant” saying he always knew how to make people smile.