Daryl Hawks, an NBC Chicago sports anchor, was found dead in his Atlanta hotel room Thursday morning. He was 38.
The cause of death is not yet known. Hotel employees found him at 9:30 a.m., after he missed a wake-up call. He was in Atlanta covering the Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks playoff series.
"We are all stunned right now. Daryl was a great member of our sports team, and was so excited about covering the Bulls during this playoff run," Station Manager Frank Whittaker said in a story posted at NBCChicago.com.
Hawks was married with two children, a Marine veteran and a three-time Emmy winner. His online biography at NBCChicago.com noted that he was still an active athlete into his 30s, playing tackle football, pick-up basketball and golf. He was also active in charitable activities that promoted physical fitness, in Junior Achievement and in the National Association of Black Journalists.