Good Morning America producer Daisha Riley has died. She was 35.
“One of our stars, Daisha Riley, a young and talented producer, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away,” GMA co-host Michael Strahan shared with viewers on Tuesday. “She rose through the ranks over the years on our show, working on stories that have made so many of you, our viewers, smile and tear up. Her legacy lives on in a powerful voice she shared through storytelling.”
The program honored Riley and her 14 years at GMA.
“You might not have known Daisha Riley’s name, but if you watched GMA for the past 14 years, trust us, you saw her incredible work, because Daisha loved nothing more than telling America a story,” Strahan shared.
“Daisha Riley could write a breaking news piece with lightning speed. On features, she could make you cry with her exquisite use of words,” he added. “And when Amy [Robach] interviewed the cast of Game of Thrones, you’d better believe that Daisha made sure that set actually had a throne to make the actors’ jaws drop.”
Riley “had grit and grace,” Strahan recalled one colleague saying. “She took pride in her work, and she fought for it, because to Daisha, there was no greater privilege than helping you at home start your day. And trust us when we say that for all of us at GMA, there was no greater privilege than knowing Daisha Riley.”
“She was never the loudest voice in the room, but she was always the smartest,” he added, remembering Riley as funny, smart, “a world-class producer, a pillar of GMA, and a friend to us all.”
“She was beloved by all of us here. Her smile lit up a room,” Strahan shared. “It’s hard for us and difficult to even wrap our heads around this, but we can’t express how much we are going to miss her. We are thinking about her family and her fiancé, Tyrone, this morning.”
GMA’s senior executive producer, Michael Corn, wrote he was “heartbroken” over Riley’s death, while anchor Robin Roberts also paid tribute to Riley on Twitter.
“Daisha Riley was a remarkable woman….talented, creative, kind, a beautiful soul in every way,” she wrote. “Condolences to her beloved family. Our @GMA family loved her and will be forever grateful to have experienced Daisha’s grace & grit.”
Daisha Riley was a remarkable woman….talented, creative, kind, a beautiful soul in every way. Condolences to her beloved family. Our @GMA family loved her and will be forever grateful to have experienced Daisha’s grace & grit. ??❤️ https://t.co/3bNbmtb0rr
— Robin Roberts (@RobinRoberts) July 21, 2020
See more tributes to Riley below.
A heartbreaking loss for all of us at @GMA & @ABC. Daisha was a kind and gentle soul, but a fierce producer. She was adamantly against discussing stories by email — she wanted to talk to you over the phone, hear your voice, and make that human connection. Godspeed, dear Daisha.? https://t.co/z4xht8fuon
— Gio Benitez (@GioBenitez) July 21, 2020
Absolutely gutted. Daisha was an immensely talented producer. She was kind, warm, incredibly hard-working and thoughtful. This is a huge loss for the world and our @GMA family and my heart goes out to her family. Rest In Peace Daisha. https://t.co/vBH16bGcgL
— Rebecca Jarvis (@RebeccaJarvis) July 21, 2020
A tremendous loss for our @GMA family. Woke up last night to the devastating news that our Daisha passed away. Daisha – you trained me when I started at GMA. Our time in the edit room for those awards show pieces- a beautiful memory. Thank you for everything. Resr in paradise. pic.twitter.com/BOoK9Bi0F0
— Dom Proto (@Dom_Proto) July 21, 2020
Daisha’s legacy will be her kindness, her brilliance inside & out, her natural ability to make people crack a smile, and her love & knack for news. And that’s just a piece of it. She was the real deal. We will always miss & remember you Daisha. https://t.co/Vix1RkkHZM
— Stephanie Wash (@WashNews) July 21, 2020
Wrecked – she was one of my favorite producers and taught me a lot about quiet strength. https://t.co/5kfzpXAY4C
— becky worley (@bworley) July 21, 2020
Huge loss for our @GMA family. Daisha was loved and respected by all.? https://t.co/oeFtqJrMJu
— Diane Macedo (@dianermacedo) July 21, 2020
This is just heartbreaking. I first met Daisha 8 years ago when I started at @GMA. She was kind, funny & thoughtful. She knew what made a good piece. She always had such life every time I would see her around the @ABC building. My heart goes out to her family and the GMA family. https://t.co/8KwwBcOIYG
— Joshua Hoyos (@JoshuaHoyos) July 21, 2020
