Amanda Davis: Colleagues Mourn, Remember News Anchor (ICYMI)

ATLANTA, GA — Hours after the death of popular Atlanta TV news anchor Amanda Davis, her journalistic colleagues — both co-workers and competitors — were mourning her loss and remembering her legacy on Thursday.

"Amanda Davis has gone to be with God, leaving us — leaving me — shocked and heartbroken by the suddenness of her passing," wrote Fox 5 anchor Russ Spencer, who shared the desk at WAGA with Davis for more than 15 years.

"We joked about being TV spouses. But I truly loved Amanda. She was unfailingly generous and kind, on the air and off. Amanda was a person of great faith, a faith that seemed to deepen in recent years as she bravely confronted, and surmounted, challenges made more difficult because they were so public."

Davis, 62, died Wednesday. She had suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday while waiting to board a plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. An award-winning journailist, Davis, anchored the CBS 46 Morning News and CBS 46 News at Noon shows. Before joining the station, she spent 26 years at FOX-affiliate WAGA, CBS said on its website.

Paul Ossman, chief meteorologist with CBS46, knew Davis for more than three decades, dating back to their days at WAGA.

"She was a very private person, but once you got in that circle, when we worked together, it was just a great connection," Ossman said in a Facebook Live post. "No matter where our lives took us, she was always next to me ... . We were always connected.

"The one thing Amanda Davis always did was enjoy the ride. She was not a person who said, 'Hey, look at me.' She didn't need to do that. Any time she walked in a room, people knew Amanda Davis."

"Just heartbroken," wrote retired 11 Alive senior anchor Brenda Wood on Twitter. "Rest In Peace my beautiful friend."
In another post, Wood shared a photo of herself with Davis, calling them "sisters in the biz. Competitors yet friends."
Remembrances of Davis spanned outside the TV news world, too, to include the people she covered.
In a written statement, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who has represented much of Atlanta for decades, called Davis a "beloved friend."
"With the passing of Amanda Davis, we have lost a caring sensitive friend and journalist," "We pray for her family, friends and colleagues. Her voice will be deeply missed."

On Twitter, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called Davis an icon.
"Saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Atlanta news icon, Amanda Davis," Reed wrote. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this difficult time. She will truly be missed."

Atlanta City Councilwoman and Mayor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms also weighed in on the site.
"Saddened to hear of the passing of @cbs46 Amanda Davis," she wrote. "Such a beautiful person, inside & out. My thoughts & prayers are w/ her loved ones."

Photo courtesy WGCL