Savannah Guthrie and other Today show hosts pay tribute to staffer who died of coronavirus

NBC News employee was 61 and 'suffered from other health issues'

Savannah Guthrie has paid tribute to her late coworker Larry Edgeworth after the NBC audio technician died of coronavirus.

On Friday, the Today show anchor remembered Edgeworth and his commitment to his career on Instagram, where she wrote: “My heart breaks this morning at the loss of NBC audio technician Larry Edgeworth due to Covid-19. I adored Larry. We travelled together for two straight months on a campaign in 2008 and he was always the most warm, most professional, most loving.

“All hours of the day and night, no matter how hungry or tired or stressed we were - he was always a joy. He loved his work and excelled at it. He loved his colleagues and boy did we love him. Larry, dear, I will miss you”

She concluded the post, which shows Edgeworth smiling alongside a colleague, expressing her “deepest condolences” to the NBC employee’s family.

Guthrie had first shared the news that an NBC employee had tested positive on Monday, when she told viewers during a segment with Hoda Kotb: “Personal note, for this show: last night we learned that a colleague of ours on the third hour of Today has tested positive for Covid-19, the novel coronavirus.”

At the time, Guthrie said that her colleagues Craig Melvin and Al Roker, who also worked on the third hour of the show, had taken the morning off “out of an abundance of caution”.

Earlier today, NBC chairman Andy Lack confirmed in a staff memo obtained by People that Edgeworth, who was 61 and reportedly “suffered from other health issues,” had died after testing positive for new coronavirus.

Following the news, Roker also shared a tribute to Edgeworth on Instagram, where he called the staff member of 25 years a “giant both physically and emotionally”.

“You were always in good hands when he was on your crew,” Roker wrote. “He would always ask about Nick and losing him to underlying health issues exacerbated by Covid-19 is devastating. Thoughts and prayers to his wife and two sons. Our NBC News family has lost a consummate professional and a friend.”

Melvin remembered Edgeworth on Twitter, where he recalled the camera technician looking out for him “like an uncle would," while Kotb said: "We loved Larry and he loved us back."