Eric Paulsen, a fixture of New Orleans broadcasting at WWL-TV for nearly 50 years, died weeks after going public with a cancer diagnosis, WWL-TV reports.
Paulsen, 74, announced last month that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer.
"I’m not a person who worries about a lot in life, and I've always been a fighter. This is a fight I don’t welcome, but I’m ready for this battle," Paulsen said when announcing his illness.
Paulsen joined WWL-TV in 1977 and soon became the anchorman of the morning news.
In the 1990s, Paulsen was paired with Sally-Ann Roberts and the popularity of the newscast led to the station expanding it to two hours, preempting the CBS morning show.
In addition to morning anchor duties, in 2001 he took on the unenviable task of replacing WWL-TV's Bill Elder as anchor of the noon newscast.
Paulsen earned a long list of awards in his decades of coverage at WWL, and just this last August, was honored by the New Orleans City Council.
He is survived by his wife Bethany, their son Emmet, as well as son Jon and daughter Lexei, brother Kim and sister Karen, and brother-in-law Richard.
Paulsen's family ask that memorial donations can be made to Roots of Music, 1020 N. Prieur St., New Orleans, LA 70116 (therootsofmusic.org), or The Ella Project, 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116 (ellanola.org).
