Prominent pro football and sports journalist Terez Paylor died suddenly at the age of 37, his fiancée announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Ebony Reed, Paylor’s longtime girlfriend and fiancé, said he would be greatly missed.
“While we are shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Terez Paylor, we are also celebrating his extraordinary life that has touched so much,” Reed said. “Terez was an extraordinary journalist whose passion for football made him a respected voice.”
“His legacy will leave a lasting impact on sports journalism, the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans,” she continued. “More importantly, Terez was a devoted son, grandson, brother, a worshiping fiancée and a wonderful friend to so many people. To know him was to love him.”
Paylor was a podcast for Yahoo Sports and was the site’s senior NFL reporter at the time of his death. According to his former Kansas City Star colleague Sam Mellinger, Paylor did not travel to the Super Bowl this year because he wanted to stay safe amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Paylor’s unexpected death on Tuesday received an outpouring of admiration and praise on social media by colleagues, fans and the NFL team in Kansas City over which he spent years.
“Hearing the news of Terez’s passing is sad,” the team said statement on Twitter. “He was so young and full of life, he always wanted to do right by people. Many of us in the Chiefs over the years have had the opportunity to build a friendship with him, including our players, coaches and staff, and he has been an incredible person with the right attitude and integrity. ”
Paylor was a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and was a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also an active member of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists.
According to the newspaper, Paylor worked as a sports writer for the Kansas City Star from 2006 to 2018 when he joined Yahoo Sports. He studied at Howard University and studied print journalism, originally from Detroit.