Illinois TV Anchor Dies From Brain Cancer

Dave Benton of WCIA-TV in Champaign died Tuesday at home in Champaign at the age of 52

An Illinois television news anchor who continued to work while he struggled with brain cancer has died.

WCIA-TV news director Andy Miller said Dave Benton died Tuesday at home in Champaign. Benton was 52.

Benton in December told viewers he had been told he had four to six months to live but planned to work as long as possible. He left the air in April after more than nine years at the Champaign television station.

Miller said hundreds of viewers sent Facebook comments mourning Benton to WCIA on Tuesday. Miller called Benton a model for working as a newsman and for handling terminal illness with grace.

Benton is survived by a wife and two adult children. He grew up in Addison, a Chicago suburb, and graduated from Northern Illinois University.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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