News anchor Edgardo del Villar died Sunday after a brave and public battle with brain cancer, Telemundo station WNJU announced.
He was 51.
He died at his Bergen County, New Jersey, home with his wife, Carolina, and his family by his side.
Del Villar joined the Spanish-language station, which serves the New York and New Jersey area, in 2017 after working at the Telemundo network’s headquarters in Miami. Originally from Mexico, he worked in radio and print before joining the network in 2013.
WNJU’s president and general manager, Cristina Schwarz, called him a “talented journalist” and a “gifted storyteller with a smile that lit up the screen,” according to a WNBC report.
“We stood in awe as he fought an incurable disease with remarkable resolve; pushing himself to the limits, returning to the air throughout his treatment, and remaining positive and upbeat through it all,” Schwarz said.
Del Villar co-anchored the 6 p.m. and the 11 p.m. newscasts of “Noticiero 47 Telemundo” until August, when he left for health reasons.
“He was our inspiration and we loved him,” Schwarz said. “Our station family extends condolences to Edgardo’s mother, his siblings, his wife, Carolina – and his beloved daughter, Dana."
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