ABC News Executive Producer Dax Tejera Dies at 37

Dax Tejera attends the CAA Kickoff Party for the White House Correspondents Dinner weekend, in Washington on April 29, 2022. Leigh Vogel/Getty Images

Dax Tejera, an executive producer (EP) at ABC News, has died from cardiac arrest on Dec. 23, just a few weeks ahead of his 38th birthday.

“We have bad news to report, a friend and colleague here at ABC Dax Tejera died suddenly last night. Dax was the executive producer of ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos.’ A statement ABC News President Kim Goodwin said ‘DAX is energy, passion, and love for that show, shined every Sunday morning.’ This week co-anchor Jonathan Karl sharing that ‘DAX adores his family and he loved his work. His passing has left us shocked and hurt.’ Our thoughts are with his wife Veronica, their two young daughters, and their entire family. Dax will be deeply missed here by all of us at ABC News,” ABC News announced in a video statement.

Goodwin revealed that Tejera died of a heart attack, according to a note from ABC News President Kim Goodwin obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The note was sent to network staff on Saturday.

“On this Christmas Eve, hug your loved ones a little tighter. And please lean on each another,” Goodwin said, while promising to share more details in the coming days. Tejera joined ABC News in 2017 as a senior producer in the Washington Bureau where he remote-anchored broadcasts from across America.

During this period, he covered major events like the summit between former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, and the meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Tejera became an executive producer of “The Week” in February 2020, with the program climbing to the number one spot in Sunday shows among adults aged 25 to 54 under his leadership.

Prior to joining ABC, Tejera had worked with MSNBC, NBC, and HBO. He is survived by his wife Veronica and two young daughters, Ella aged 5 months, and Sofia aged 2 years.

(L-R) Peter Alexander, Cecilia Vega, Ricardo Jimenez, and Dax Tejera attend the CAA Kickoff Party for the White House Correspondents Dinner weekend, at Dovetail at the Viceroy, in Washington on April 29, 2022. Leigh Vogel/Getty Images

Tributes

Jose Diaz Balart, an anchor at MSNBC, called Tejera a “force” of enthusiasm, passion, and intelligence as well as a “true” public servant. “I was privileged to have known and worked with him,” he said in a Dec. 25 Twitter post.

S. E. Cupp, an author who has worked with CNN, called Tejera’s demise the “worst kind of news” while characterizing him as one of the “kindest and brightest” people. “Keeping his family and @abcnews family in our thoughts,” she said in a Twitter post.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik called Tejera’s death as a “terrible blow” for the network, pointing out that he had “much promise” ahead of him.

“Dax Tejera was not only the brightest—most compassionate—executive producer I’ve ever worked with, he was also a dear friend. On this Christmas Day, my thoughts are with his wife, Veronica and his two baby daughters,” ABC news correspondent John Quinones said in a Twitter post, calling his death a “heartbreaking day.”