Florida news anchor who killed himself 'thought he had' dementia Robin Williams suffered from
A longtime local news anchor in Florida killed himself Wednesday because he feared he had dementia, a family member said. Todd Tongen, 56, worked at WPLG Local 10 News in Miami, Florida for three decades. He was found dead in his South Florida home after family members on vacation were not able to contact him.
The station reported his cause of death has been ruled a suicide. “There was clearly something that was bothering him,” Scott Tongen, the anchor’s brother told the station in a news story about Todd Tongen’s death.
Todd Tongen believed he had Lewy body dementia, his brother said, a disease that killed their mother two years ago. Lewy body dementia is the same disease that plagued actor Robin Williams before he killed himself in 2014 at age 63. Bill Buckner, the former Red Sox baseball star, died aged 69 last month after battling Lewy body dementia.
“I’m convinced that he thought he had it,” Tongen. “Whether there was conclusive evidence or not, I think he thought he had it, and that may have been enough.”
Tributes have been pouring in for the anchor who mostly worked nights and weekends and was a fixture in living rooms across Miami-Dade County. “Todd was an incredibly talented journalist,” and CEO Bert Medina said in a statement. “We will report on this painful subject of suicide and mental health and perhaps we can help one person out there who is struggling. We miss Todd terribly.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/florida-news-anchor-killed-himself-because-he-thought-he-had-dementia-robin-williams-suffered-from