Two Fox News Staffers Die Over Christmas Weekend

Fox News lost two members of its family over the holiday weekend. Matt Napolitano, a Fox News Radio anchor and sports reporter, died at age 33. Adam Petlin, the director of Chicago Bureau Operations and one of the network’s first hires, passed away at 58. 

The news of Napolitano’s death was shared by his husband, Rick Whitcomb, on X (formerly known as Twitter). The couple recently got married in May of this year. 

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“With a heavy heart I have to share that my husband @MattNapolitano passed away yesterday morning,” Whitcomb wrote on Christmas Eve. “He loved his job and he loved bringing the news to your radios and televisions. An honest journalist who truly cared about facts. You can thank him for the last minute Jets win today.” 

In addition, he explained that Napolitano’s death was caused by a long-standing autoimmune disease that had been afflicting him for many years. “He had an auto immune disease that he was diagnosed with almost 20 years ago and died as the result of an infection,” he posted. “Do not use my husband’s death to spread disinformation and blatant mistruths.” 

Variety reported that Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott issued a memo to Fox News employees lauding Napolitano for his skills as a journalist. “Matt did everything from anchoring to writing and producing for our audio platforms and loved being able to work in the journalism field that he trained for his entire life,” Scott wrote.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Napolitano had been a lifelong game show fan, appearing on Jeopardy in 2020 and Wheel of Fortune in 2016. In a memo sent out to employees, Scott also paid tribute to Petlin and highlighted his many years working for the company. 

“He was an integral part of the field and production team and a gifted still and television photographer,” she wrote via Fox News. “Adam was also highly regarded by numerous correspondents and anchors that were fortunate enough to have been on location with him on nearly every major news story of the last 27 years.” 

Fox hired him as one of its first six field photographers in August 1996. During Petlin’s career, he had the opportunity to cover the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the heart of Manhattan, New York, as well as a multitude of international trips around the world, including to Antarctica and the South Pole. His death was reportedly the result of a long illness. Petlin is survived by his wife, Lauren, his 18-year-old daughter, Ava, and his 14-year-old son, Luca.