A journey through KTLA’s archives shows the many talents of Chris Burrous, a KTLA anchor and reporter since 2011 who passed away Thursday.
The broadcaster was more than just a morning news anchor with a great sense of humor. He was also an innovator, a talented reporter, a food connoisseur, husband and father.
When KTLA decided to launch a weekend morning news show, he was there on day one to host with Mary Beth McDade.
His humor and chemistry with eventual co-anchor Lynette Romero quickly became an integral part of the show’s identity. Always bringing new ideas and energy to the show, he routinely got the entire news room up and moving with his “8:38 Stretch” segment.
Burrous also shined when asked to cover breaking news. He was one of the first reporters on the scene of the Woolsey Fire and had a memorable exchange with a Thousand Oaks couple he helped walk to their car.
But, it was his desire to help his community that may have meant the most to him professionally.
Once, he found out that 40 bikes intended to be gifts for students with perfect attendance were stolen in Moreno Valley. He went on the air to ask for help, prompting one viewer to step forward.
He turned a love for food into another staple of the weekend show. Burrous’ Bites revealed some of Southern California’s hardest to find, but most delicious places to eat.
Wife and fellow journalist, Mai Do-Burrous, accompanied him on some of his culinary adventures.
Often the center of attention, he was hoping to lay low on his 43rd birthday. “I’m just trying to stay off Kimmel this morning,” he said while reporting on a rainy day in Los Angeles.
But Jimmy Kimmel had other ideas when he saw this report.
Beside these many talents, he was known to be a doting father, often talking about his daughter Isabella on the air.
He recently shared a moment the two spent on the set of Wheel of Fortune.
The imagination and humor he brought to KTLA meant so much to his coworkers.
“I thought he was a genius … He just got it from every angle,” entertainment reporter Dayna Devon, who worked closely with him on the weekend show, said. “I just feel like we had magic in a bottle.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Burrous family pay for funeral expenses and other costs.
