Sad News: Sports reporter Adan Manzano dies at 27 while covering Super Bowl in New Orleans…..Read More

Telemundo Kansas City remembered Manzano as “a true professional and a rising star.”

Adan Manzano, a broadcast journalist for Telemundo Kansas City, died Wednesday in New Orleans while covering Super Bowl LIX. He was 27.

Telemundo Kansas City announced the news Thursday, issuing a statement on social media that said, “We are saddened to share that Adan Manzano passed away yesterday in New Orleans, while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl for both Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports. We are cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic event.”

A cause of death was not disclosed, but a representative in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office told Entertainment Weekly that Manzano was found face-down on his bed by a hotel manager at the Contempra Inn in the suburb Kenner, La., when he failed to check out as scheduled and that there was no sign of trauma or foul play. The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office is now investigating whether he died of natural causes or an overdose.

Representatives for the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The network remembered Manzano as “a true professional and a rising star, who exemplified excellence in his work” as a sports anchor and reporter for Kansas City’s local Telemundo channel, KGKC. “We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports, and the contributions he made to the local community. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Manzano grew up in Mexico City, graduated from Kansas State University, and lived in Topanga, Kan., where he regularly covered the Kansas City Chiefs as a sideline reporter, according to Fox affiliate KCTV.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas offered his condolences. “Adan was so young and full of energy, and truly covered almost every event in the community,” Lucas wrote on social media. “So very sad to see this news. My condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.”

Manzano’s wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, died in April 2024 following a car accident, CBS affiliate WIBW reported. Boyd and Manzano leave behind a toddler daughter, Eleanor.

The Chiefs’ presence at the previous two Super Bowls meant that Manzano also covered those events. His last post on X showed him at a press conference with Patrick Mahomes on Monday.

Manzano reflected on the opportunity to cover the Super Bowl for Spanish-language audiences in an interview with NBC affiliate KSNT News last year. “People actually reach out to our company and appreciate that we’re actually speaking their language,” he said. “I used to dream about it, but I never expected that it was gonna come that soon.”