Atlanta anchor Jovita Moore dies after battle with brain cancer
A beloved staple of Atlanta news, Moore came to Atlanta from Arkansas, where she began her award-winning media career in 1990.
Longtime Atlanta news anchor Jovita Moore has died overnight after a battle with brain cancer. She was 54.
Moore announced to her viewers she would be having surgery to remove a brain tumor in April, and she and her supporters hoped for a healthy recovery. However, months later, doctors diagnosed Moore with glioblastoma, a more aggressive form of cancer of the brain.
A beloved staple of Atlanta news, Moore joined WSB-TV, Channel 2, an ABC affiliate, in 1998. In 2012, after Monica Kaufman Pearson retired, Moore joined the main anchor desk at the station.
Moore came to Atlanta from Arkansas, where she began her award-winning media career in 1990.
A native New Yorker, Moore earned a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and held a bachelor of arts degree in literature from Bennington College in Vermont.
She won several Emmy Awards during her career and was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ southeast chapter and inducted into the Silver Circle in 2017.
A supporter of the arts, Moore sat on the boards of the Center for the Visually Impaired, Dress for Success, the YWCA of Greater Atlanta and the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. She was a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists and was a past vice president-broadcast for the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists.
Condolences honoring Moore’s passing have started to pour in on social media.
“Gutted by the passing of our dear friend and colleague Jovita Moore,” fellow WSB-TV journalist Zach Klein wrote on Twitter. “Jovita passed last night with her family by her side. She was a beautiful soul who loved Ch. 2, her friends, and family and always repped the ATL. Please send your love and prayers to her family.”
Another colleague, Allison Mastrangelo, tweeted, “Our beloved @JovitaMoore passed away last night. She was the heart & soul of #Atlanta & in such a short time I learned so much from her on how to be a strong, intelligent, kind & caring anchor. She was beauty, grace, & everything you could want in a human being.”
“The #NABJ Family deeply mourns the loss of legendary @wsbtv news anchor & longtime member @JovitaMoore,” the National Association of Black Journalists wrote on Twitter. “Moore battled with brain cancer & inspired many on her journey. Her legacy of kindness, commitment to her craft, and reaching back to help the next generation will live on.”
Producer and director Tyler Perry tweeted, “Jovita Moore. We know you fought with all you had! I will miss your beautiful smile and warm laughter, let alone seeing you in my living room every day. You will be missed greatly, my friend. Many heartfelt prayers to your family. May your soul travel well! Life is but a moment.”
“Today, we mourn the passing of @jovitamoore,” Fair Fight founder and former Georgia state Rep. Stacey Abrams shared, “who used her voice and platform to highlight important issues impacting Atlantans for more than 20 years. May God bless her family, loved ones, and @wsbtv colleagues in their time of grief.”
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an official statement on Moore’s passing, writing, “Derek, my entire family, and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Jovita Moore. Jovita was a wonderful mother, daughter and dear friend to many. Even those who did not know her personally felt a deep and personal connection to Jovita. She loved Atlanta dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with her children Lauren, Shelby, and Joshua, her mother, and all who loved her. May her beautiful spirit soar. Jovita will be truly missed.”
Correction, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, 7:15 a.m. ET: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Moore’s age at her death and when she joined the anchor desk at WSB. The story has been updated.
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