HOUSTON – Former KHOU reporter John “Rucks” Russell has died at the age of 55.
KPRC 2′s Courtney Zubowski said of Russell, “Rucks was a great reporter, but he was an even better friend. We sat next to each other in the Channel 11 newsroom for years. I learned so much from him and will always remember the fun times we shared. We just lost one of the best.”
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Rucks reportedly died of the coronavirus, which he contracted while caring for his brother who also had COVID-19.
Houston media reporter Mike McGuff wrote that Russell worked at KHOU 11 from 2006 to 2017, then went on to work as the communications director for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Washington DC. He went on to work for the HHS Office of Minority Health and the Houston City Council.
For more on his background, read McGuff’s full story here.
On behalf of the KPRC 2 news team, our thoughts and prayers go out to Russell’s family and to all those who worked with him, including our journalism colleagues at channel 11.