Some sad news out of KTRK in Houston.

Longtime News Photographer Willie Dixon, died suddenly over the weekend.

“He was a dear friend to us all," ABC13 News Director Rehan Aslam said. "The loss we feel today is beyond measure.”

“He traveled everywhere for us," KTRK Chief Photographer Bernard Francis said. "Politically, he and Tom Abrahams interviewed every single presidential candidate leading up to the 2016 election.”

He came to work at KTRK in 2006 from WFTV in Orlando. Dixon was just 52 years old.

This was the email sent to the staff over the weekend from GM Wendy Granato:

Hi everyone.

I have very sad news to share.

Beloved photojournalist Willie Dixon passed away suddenly tonight. It’s believed Willie had a blood clot in his lung.

So many of us who loved Willie are devastated and heartbroken. He epitomized everything great about ABC13. Willie was dedicated, talented, fiercely competitive and so funny.

His emojis were a work of art. 🏺🎥 Willie loved covering sports and politics and if you’d ever been blessed to travel internationally with Willie, like me, you know he loved buying beautiful things for his wife Dorothy. Willie was a proud and devoted father to two beautiful, smart, successful daughters.

ABC13 will never be the same without Willie. Tomorrow night at 8pm, we will gather in the parking lot of the station for a brief candlelight vigil in his honor.

Please keep Willie’s family in your prayers. We’ll be providing grief counseling for anyone who needs to talk. Love you all and please know we will support you in the very difficult days, weeks, and months ahead.

Wendy

Abrahams posted this tweet about the loss of his co-worker.