DETROIT – Detroit native and former longtime news anchor Allison Payne died September 11 in Detroit, according to WGN-TV. She was 57.
Payne worked at WGN-TV for 21 years. She was hired there in 1990 at the age of 25 from Saginaw, Michigan.
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“She went on to cover numerous important stories across the globe, including tracing former President Barack Obama’s roots in Kenya and traveling to the Ivory Coast alongside the Rev. Jesse Jackson,” said the station in a statement.
According to WGN-TV, she left the Chicago based station in September of 2011 as the result of unfortunate health events and moved back to Detroit.
“Payne was a Detroit native who eventually called Chicago home for many years, playing an active role in the community by mentoring students and eventually establishing a foundation for students looking to enter the journalism field,” the station continued adding that Payne was a monumental contributor to the history of WGN-TV.