Sam Rubin, who covered entertainment news for KTLA 5's Morning News for 33 years, passed away on Friday, May 10, 2024, at the age of 64. He appeared here at the 2023 Grammy Awards event. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for The Recording)School)
Legendary Los Angeles entertainment reporter Sam Rubin felt like a friend. You may be a Hollywood star talking with Rubin on his KTLA 5 Morning News, or you may be a bleary-eyed viewer watching from home, but Rubin's hilarious and curious His conversational style makes you feel like you're part of his circle.
Rubin, 64, died Friday at his home after a heart attack. He called in sick on Friday, the day after he interviewed actress Jane Seymour on the Morning News, but nothing seemed to be wrong.
As news of his death spread, the loss for celebrities, viewers, colleagues, friends, and family was deeply felt.
“He always made you feel special, and I wasn't the only one who felt that warmth every time they sat at your desk,” actor Henry Winkler told KTLA by phone. Ta. For years I sat behind the morning news anchor desk, in a chair to the right of the screen.
“He made everyone feel special and opened their hearts like flowers,” Winkler continued.
“The Sam you saw on the air is the Sam who wasn't on the air,” said KTLA News Anchor Frank Buckley. He struggled to maintain his composure as he broke the news of Mr. Rubin's death to viewers shortly after noon Friday.
Marian McLucas announced Rubin's death, writing on KTLA's Facebook page that she was “heartbroken.” “Sam was like family. Every morning I would check on him. We chatted on social media many times over the years. He was such a nice guy and very A fun loving soul. I just broke up.”
The veteran actor said Rubin also had the ability to “open up like a flower.” Winkler continued, “My heart goes out to his family, you, and his colleagues. He will be sorely missed. We are so overwhelmed that he is not here with us.” ”
In interviews, Rubin often seemed like a fan who was lucky enough to land a job as an entertainment journalist. It's not like he was a very talented professional broadcast journalist. He clearly loved his job in a “pinch me, I really do this” kind of way.
Often, as a way to break the ice, he will begin interviews with outlandish questions to catch media-trained entertainers off guard.
“Shampoo and conditioner?” Or just shampoo? “What's your hair style, Jared? Good morning,” Rubin once asked Jared Leto to begin an interview. The long-haired actor and musician laughed and played along. “Well, my friend, it's a wig,” Rubin barked with a laugh.
At the 2018 Oscars, Rubin ended up speaking with Common and Tiffany Haddish, and ended up cheekily suggesting that they might be compatible and that they should go on a date. . A few years later, they became a couple, and Rubin was very happy with his matchmaking.
Rubin used to play whatever the guests invited him to do. Whether it was when K-pop boy band Ateez taught him one of their dances on a broadcast last year, or when Rubin jokingly asked him to join Destiny's Child years ago, he's always been inspired to dance. The invitation was not refused.
“Can I back up with you?” Rubin asked the trio, showing off his talent. Trying not to laugh at his jerky movements, Beyoncé replied, “Yeah, I guess I had some work to do.”
Rubin often talked about his life on air, including his adventures with his wife Leslie and their four children. Colleagues at KTLA laughed as they recalled how much Rubin hated camping and how cheerful he was on outings with his children.
In 2012, he flew to New York for a press junket with Ryan Gosling for The Place Beyond the Pines. Mainly because her 17-year-old daughter Perry threatened to stop talking to him if she didn't meet the woman she liked. She questions the actors and asks her some very specific questions. Rubin did, Gosling was impressed by the question, and Perry was probably thrilled.
Like any journalist, you're going to make mistakes if you work long enough. Rubin had the ability to apologize, laugh, and move on from even the smallest gaffe, but it certainly wasn't fun when Samuel L. Jackson reprimanded Rubin for confusing him with Laurence Fishbourne. .
The playfulness, the humility, the willingness to say and do anything, the witty love he had for all of his guests, and his genuine kindness and warmth to everyone around him, all of it just overflowed. I contributed to events that took place. Emotions upon his death on Friday.
“I don't think anyone ever loved their job more than Sam Rubin,” actress Marilu Henner wrote in X. My heart goes out to his beautiful family at home and his wonderful family at KTLA. I could feel the love as I walked around the filming location. And Sam was the heart and the hearth. ”
Actor Kiefer Sutherland mentioned running into Rubin on the red carpet earlier this year, and Rubin was a regular in coverage of the Los Angeles awards show.
“The last time I spoke to Sam Rubin was at this year's Critics Choice Awards,” Sutherland wrote in X. “His smile and genuine excitement for everything Hollywood has ever offered. In tense situations, he was a pillar of kindness. He will be sorely missed.”
Actor Danny Trejo called KTLA on Friday from Canada, where he was traveling, to express his feelings for Rubin.
“He was the kind of person you would call a friend if you met him,” Trejo said. “I’m in Canada right now and they’re calling me. [I go], “Oh, not my mate.” He was just a man's true lover. ”
Viewers also spoke emotionally about their longtime morning TV friends.
“I feel like I lost a relative. Every day I woke up and watched the morning news on KTLA and there he was,” Israel Ann wrote on Facebook. “He was with me yesterday too, and I think he said he didn't make up. And Sam wasn't here today, so I didn't think anything of it until now. It's sad, I'm not going to lie. Face. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. He will be missed.
“I sit here and cry like I knew him personally and he made you feel that way,” Tracy Berquist Alo commented on Facebook.