Derrick Ward, a beloved NBC News reporter, recently passed away at the age of 62 as a result of complications from a recent medical emergency. The network and his former colleagues recently took to social media to mourn the loss of the longtime correspondent, who went into cardiac arrest before his condition progressively worsened and he died.
Ward was known for his critically acclaimed human interest news pieces when covering events that would impact residents of the Washington, D.C. area. NBC4 Washington took to X to announce Ward’s passing. “Derrick Ward, a member of the News4 family, died Tuesday following complications from recent cardiac arrest. He was 62. Please join us in sharing love and support with his family,” the outlet wrote.
The news prompted an outpouring of mourning from Ward’s friends and family. “Derrick has been an inspiration and cherished member of our family and his hometown community, as a longtime reporter at News4 Washington, and previously WTOP Radio,” family friend Lydia Sermons said in a statement. “As a distinguished journalist, Derrick’s storytelling, prolific writing, warmth, and humor touched countless lives. Our children and our entire family will miss him dearly.”
NBC Washington reporter Mark Segraves similarly posted on social media about his colleagues death, “Heartbroken at the loss of a great friend and colleague. @DerrickWard4 was a brilliant writer and journalist who loved reporting on his hometown. Derrick was also a fabulous musician. R-I-P brother, we’ll take it from here.”
NBC Investigative reporter, Tracee Wilkins, recounted all the memories he shared with Ward. “My heart is broken by the loss of my friend. Derrick greeted everyone with a welcoming smile and a warm laugh. He was a dedicated dad, a wonderful colleague, a stellar journalist, and a gifted guitar player. Prayers to his children and loving family,” Wilkins said.
NBC reporter Paul Wagner honored Ward’s life stated, “Derrick and I worked together @WTOP in the late 90’s and later crossed paths for many years as we reported in the city. His greeting of ‘Hey Wags’ always made me smile. In the last 4 years @nbcwashington I had a front row seat to his talented and beautiful story telling.”
NBC reporter Aimee Cho said, “Just heartbroken over the loss of our beloved friend & colleague Derrick Ward. He was always so nice to me and everyone he met. I loved shadowing him when I was an intern, and learned so much about writing, history, and life from him. We love you, Derrick.”
Another person on social media commented, “Derrick Ward gave us the opportunity to be on NBC4 evening news in November. He immediately struck us as a genuinely good man, beyond kind and interesting to talk to. He lifted our spirits with compliments of our pizza and oven. Our sincerest condolences to Derrick’s family, friends, and colleagues.”
Another person honored Ward’s memory. “I first met Derrick years ago during my days with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. I thought of him as a nice guy, a humble man and a good reporter. My opinion of him grew 10-fold a few years later when he interviewed my teenage daughter. A new Virginia law had just been implemented making it illegal to use a cell phone while driving. The law was inspired by and named for my daughter’s best friend. The young girl tragically died in a 1-car accident… which happened while the 16 year old was driving & on her phone at the same time,” they wrote.
The post continued, “Derrick was professional but also understood how difficult this interview would be for my daughter. He was kind, caring and made the experience something more than just drudging up painful memories. I’m sure there are many similar stories about Derrick and his character. I only hope this one and others serve as a source of comfort to his family and friends. Rest in peace.”
Watch footage of Ward NBC4 shared after his passing:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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