Beloved Newscaster Todd Tongen Took His Own Life: WPLG-TV

MIAMI, FL— Gregarious WPLG-TV news anchor Todd Tongen, who was found dead at his Broward County home earlier this week, took his own life, WPLG reported Wednesday.

The station's Michael Putney, who took to the air on Monday to announce the death of his longtime friend, said Tongen may have believed he was in the beginning stages of Lewy body dementia, which took the life of Tongen's mother in 2017. See also 'Beloved' WPLG-TV News Anchor Found Dead In Home

"Perhaps the saddest part of the sad story is that Todd was home alone with his demons," said Putney, who noted that Tungen's wife was in Italy with one his two sons at the time while the other son was away at Florida State University.

Tongen's brother, a physician, told WPLG that the newscaster did not appear to have been planning to take his life. The Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services told Patch Tongen hanged himself but did not know the day when the incident occurred.

"I don't really think he was thinking about ending his life as far as I know," Dr. Scott Tongen explained in a televised interview. "We were planning a trip to Las Vegas with just the brothers in October. He had purchased tickets to go to our cabin in Canada."

According to the Mayo Clinic, Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's. The disease causes a progressive decline in mental abilities and may lead to hallucinations, changes in alertness and attention as well as Parkinson's like symptoms such as rigid muscles, slow movement and tremors. It can also cause aggressive behavior and depression.

"We believe that he was having some balance problems and he was very, very concerned about having Lewy body dementia, which afflicted our mother and her death," Scott Tongen said in the interview, adding that his brother left some garbled messages and a "simple note that said he was lost and to forgive him."

Tongen, was found dead at his home by a family friend when his wife couldn't get in touch with him.

Tongen was hired by the ABC affiliate in December of 1989 and soon took on the weather before moving into news. He will be remembered for his entertaining features and his sense of humor.

In recent years, the 56-year-old Tongen anchored the weekend morning news on WPLG-TV with co-anchor Neki Mohan, who described Tongen as her creative soulmate.

"He is forgiven and missed terribly," Putney added during Wednesday's broadcast. "We all loved Todd Tongen."

One of Tongen's most memorable features at WPLG was his long-running "10 Taxi," in which he conducted celebrity interviews in a converted 1967 Checker taxi cab.

Watch Tongen below via YouTube:

Tongen is survived by his wife Karen and his two sons: Tyler and Ryker.