LA Times Reporter Dies Suddenly at 33

33-year-old Gregory Yee, a breaking news reporter for the Los Angeles Times, died unexpectedly Wednesday.

Yee was found dead at his Hollywood home.

His family said the cause appeared to be “complications from a respiratory issue.”

Gregory Yee, news reporter for the Los Angeles Times, has #diedsuddenly. 💉

He was found dead at his home at the age of 33.

His family said the cause of death appeared to be “complications from a respiratory issue.” pic.twitter.com/rNJJ7TLOZD

— DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) January 6, 2023

According to the LA Times, Yee joined the team in 2021 as a night reporter on the Metro staff.

He was one of 18 reporters on the Fast Break desk, the paper’s breaking news operation.

From the LA Times:

Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Yee attended UC Irvine and served as editor in chief of the student newspaper, graduating in 2012 with a double major in Spanish and literary journalism.

“He brought nerve, will, discipline and high ambition to every project he tackled,” said Barry Siegel, who runs the school’s Literary Journalism program. “It was clear to me that Greg would go on to achieve much in the field of journalism, carving out a very special career.”

After a short stint at a newspaper in New Mexico, he covered crime for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and criminal justice for the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., where he anchored coverage of a mass shooting in Rock Hill by a former NFL player.

Yee’s work on the shooting story caught the eye of Times sportswriter Sam Farmer, who was in South Carolina to cover the story himself and reached out to him. Yee said his ambition was to work for his hometown paper, and an interview with The Times quickly followed. When The Times offered him a job in 2021, he packed his Toyota Camry and drove cross-country back to his home state in the company of his pit bull mix, Jake.

During his stint in Charleston, Yee reported on the first day of the COVID-19 jab rollout.

Out for a day of reporting on the first day of the #COVID19 #vaccine rollout here in South Carolina pic.twitter.com/hcPIL03OcW

— Gregory Yee 余國光 (@GregoryYYee) December 15, 2020

Yee’s tragic death continues the disturbing trend of young individuals dying suddenly.

Recently, two young ABC producers died suddenly within one week.

“This Week with George Stephanopoulos” Executive Producer Dies Suddenly of Heart Attack at 37

Also, three active-duty Massachusetts Law Enforcement Officers died suddenly within one week.

Three Massachusetts Law-Enforcement Officers Die Suddenly Within One Week