Sadly, former WGN-TV broadcaster Merri Dee has died. Read WGN's statement below.
WGN-TV is saddened following the death of former broadcaster and community relations director Merri Dee.
Dee, 86, was a local television star with 43 years in Chicago broadcasting, nearly all of them spent at WGN.
Chicagoans will remember the story of her kidnapping at gunpoint in 1971 when she was shot and almost killed. Dee survived and became an inspiration to others.
She was an author, a motivational speaker, a panelist, a career coach and an advocate for violence prevention.
Dee was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists’ Hall of Fame and was also the Illinois State President of AARP.