Beloved Pennsylvania news anchor Emily Matson dead at 42: ‘Utterly devastating’

A beloved Pennsylvania news anchor described as a “shining light” in her newsroom has died at the age of 42, her station’s parent company announced Monday.

Emily Matson worked at Erie News Now based in the Keystone State for nearly 20 years before her death, Lilly Broadcasting said in a statement.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of our beloved Erie News Now news anchor Emily Matson,” the parent company said in a statement posted on the station’s website.

“Emily was a shining light in our newsroom, delivering news with a passion and love she had for the Erie community and Northwest Pennsylvania.

“We loved Emily dearly and our hearts go out to the Matson family and her husband Ryan at this time.”

More information about Matson’s death, including the cause, was not immediately known.

Matson became an anchor at the station after she was previously a reporter and morning show producer, according to a first-person bio on Erie News Now’s website.

“I must be dreaming!  An anchor gig in my hometown! I am so happy to be in Erie, telling the stories which impact my neighbors every day,” she said in the bio.

Colleague Jamison Hixenbaugh, a reporter with Erie News Now, called Matson’s death “utterly devastating.”

“Working side-by-side with her off-and-on for the past 15 years, I can vouch…she was one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met.,” he said in a Facebook post.

“She was such a talented journalist and anchor, but even more, she was an incredible friend. From being side-splittingly funny and feisty, to thoughtful and caring…I’m going to miss you being around Em.”

Former colleague and Tennessee-based WVLT anchor Christyn Allen called Matson a hard worker, goofball and “your biggest cheerleader.”

“She was a fiercely loyal friend, and if you were lucky enough to be one of her people, you’d hit the jackpot,” she said in an Instagram post. “She always made sure her people were taken care of. I’m so thankful our paths crossed, and we never lost touch.”

Another former co-worker, David Wolter, WBKO’s chief meteorologist in Kentucky, called Matson a “fun-loving, positive spark” on even the worst day.

“Her personality was contagious and the way she was on-air was exactly how she was off-air,” Wolter said in a Facebook post. “She was real, and simply a wonderful person to know. It was always good times when I got the opportunity to work with her.”