His Passion 'Shined Every Sunday Morning' on ABC

The ABC News team is mourning an executive producer of one of its most well-known programs after his shockingly sudden death earlier this week. In a Saturday memo sent to staffers, ABC News President Kim Godwin relayed that 37-year-old Dax Tejera, EP on This Week With George Stephanopoulos, "died suddenly of a heart attack" on Dec. 23, reports USA Today. "We will share more details in the coming days," Godwin noted. Tejera, who joined ABC News in 2017 as a senior producer in DC, has been at the helm of the Sunday show—co-hosted by Stephanopoulos, Martha Raddatz, and Jonathan Karl—since right before COVID hit in 2020, per The Hollywood Reporter. His roles before that included serving as EP for Jorge Ramos' show on the now-defunct Fusion network, as well as a producer for MSNBC.

On the day that he died, Tejera posted a photo on Instagram showing him posing with President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and others, as well as pictures of him and his family, which included his wife, Veronica, and two young daughters, 2-year-old Sofia and 5-month-old Ella, per People. The magazine notes the condolences offered from such colleagues as correspondent John Quinones, photojournalist Anthony Quintano, and MSNC anchor Jose Diaz-Balart. "Dax's energy, passion, and love for [This Week], ABC News, and you, shined every Sunday morning," Godwin wrote in her memo. "That same love was extended to his precious girls. ... On this Christmas Eve, hug your loved ones a little tighter. And please lean on each another." (More ABC News stories.)