Newscaster dies after illness

http://www.nytbcast.com/kfor/images/brad_edwards_90.jpg (http://www.kfor.com/Global/link.asp?L=192048)

By The Associated Press

A longtime Oklahoma City television newsman known for his consumer-protection reports died Monday after nearly a week in a coma following a brain aneurysm.

Brad Edwards, 58, of KFOR-TV died shortly before noon Monday, the television station said.

Luanne Stuart, the station's vice president of creative services, said earlier that Edwards suffered the aneurysm on Tuesday while recovering at a local hospital from a bacterial infection of his heart.

Edwards filed a report Monday night from his hospital bed after his bout with endocarditis and vasculitis, which is inflammation of the heart and blood vessels caused by a bacterial infection. It's a rare condition and Edwards said his doctors are wondering how he developed the infection.

Edwards said he was unconscious when he was taken to an intensive care unit in late April and that he nearly died.

"They had to give me a lot of antibiotics to hold off the infection, and finally brought me around," he said. "Thanks to the doctors here, I was able to pull through this weekend, because I almost didn't."

Edwards joined the station in 1973 as a street reporter and photographer before becoming anchor and then hosting "In Your Corner," a consumer-advocacy segment that alerts consumers to potential scams.

He earned an Emmy in 1993 for a yearlong series of investigative reports on an oilfield disposal well that was leaking chemicals into nearby residents' water supply.

A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Edwards served in the Air Force as a military news broadcaster at remote air bases in southeast Asia.

Edwards is survived by his wife and a daughter.

Funeral services were pending.

I'm extremely sorry to hear about this.

As well am I. Our prayers are with his family. Sad news.

About 24 years ago, right after my wife and I got married, we purchased a house. We purchased the house through a realtor friend of ours and felt we were getting a great deal. We lived in the house for about a month before we actually signed the papers. Here is the interesting thing.

The whole month we lived there it didn't rain. The week after we signed the papers, we had a torrential rain, and we found out that we had a massive roof leak, and a leak around our windows.

Our friend, the realtor, told us that we were on our own. Here we were...newly married, with little money, and we needed a new roof. I called Brad Edwards, and within a week, he contacted me and set up an interview. He was the friendliest, most caring man that I ever met. After the interviewed aired on TV, a local contractor contacted channel 4, and offered to put on a whole new roof at no charge. The only catch was that he wanted to remain anonymous.

So, thanks to Brad Edwards and his story on our house, everything was taken care of by an anonymous donor. Yes, OKC has lost an excellent reporter.

Your city (my hometown) is a little poorer today.

The corner is dark tonight. In the corner there are echoes of concerns of citizens who, over the years have been ripped off. Our friend, our advocate, our corner, who for so many years, was on our side, is silenced.

A major part of our community is gone, but never to be forgotten. We grieve and say our thanks for Brad Edwards, the man who devoted a great deal of his life for us. A hero to most. A rare man. A dedicated man.

The corner may light again some day, but it will never be the same. I know of no person who can fulfill the shoes of Brad Edwards in the way Brad served us.

He had strength, guts, and the will to stand up to the largest company. The con artist who would have gotten away clean without Brad Edwards.

We thank you. Brad, for all the many times you have helped us. It was your "calling." The plan God intended for you. I know God met you upon arrival with his open arms and welcomed you because you were a fighter.

We pray for you, for your family, for the many friends. Many who you may have never met in person.

Our sympathy is with your family and everyone.

Brad Edwards
1947-2006
May he rest in peace.


The corner is dark tonight.

They did a very nice tribute to him on the 6:30 news tonite.

He will be greatly missed.

All of y'all are right. Even though it's been more than a month, I still forget that he's passed, and when I don't see his "In Your Corner" segments, I feel...very sad. On a different note, the "Does it Work?" segments still exist, but I don't know who does the segment now.

In Christ,
Andrew