FOX News Media staff are celebrating the lives of two individuals who played key roles in the entity’s operations. One served as the Director of Chicago Bureau Operations and passed away following a long illness. The other is a 33-year-old FOX News Audio update anchor and reporter who died after a short illness.
Adam Petlin, the Chicago-based FOX News Media staffer, was 58. He had been in Chicago since August 1996, when FOX News Media was created and was one of six original field photographers hired. He was promoted to supervisor, and covered the 9/11 terrorist attacks in lower Manhattan for FOX News.
FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott, in a staff memo, noted that former boss Sharri Berg and colleague Scott Wilder visited him in the hospital last week. At the time, Petlin proudly shared photos of his career at Fox with them, Scott shared.
Petlin is survived by his wife Lauren, whom he met while working for FOX News in New York; daughter Ava, aged 18; and and 14-year-old son Luca.
Concurrently, Scott issued a second memo notifying team members of the passing of Matt Napolitano.
“Matt did everything from anchoring to writing and producing for our audio platforms and loved being able to work in the journalism field that he trained for his entire life,” she remarked.
Napolitano first joined FOX in 2015 as a writer for the SiriusXM 24/7 dedicated FOX News Headlines channel. After a brief departure, Napolitano returned to FOX as an update anchor/reporter. He has also appeared on FOX Business Networks’ Cavuto Coast to Coast.
Outside of his work, Napolitano appeared on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune as a contestant.
Napolitano is survived by his husband Ricky, whom he married in May 2023.
