Robin Roberts revealed the news with fans about the tough loss her family recently experienced.
The Good Morning America anchor, regularly seen alongside Michael Strahan, George Stephanopolous, and others, shared details about the loss on social media.
It arrived at the start of Robin’s morning message and prayer, a video in which she generally shares wisdom and motivation with fans.
“Hope all had a wonderful weekend,” Robin said after wishing everyone a good morning.
“Oh, seeing my goddaughter enjoy her first concert, Taylor Swift, there in New Orleans just filled my heart,” she said.
From there, she sighed, as she got a bit choked up for a moment, then shared the unfortunate news that her sister Sally-Ann Roberts had delivered to her on a phone call several days ago.
Robin became emotional during her morning message after sharing news about a family friend
According to Robin Roberts, her sister informed her that their “dear family friend,” Eric Paulsen, had passed away recently.
“Eric and my sister Sally-Ann ruled morning television in New Orleans for many, many years,” she shared. “There are so many heartbroken folks right now. My sister, Eric’s family, many New Orleanians, and this morning message is for you.”
“There are times when life throws us such a blow that all we can do is weep,” Robin said as part of the morning message.
“When you don’t think you can go on. When you feel overwhelmed, God is right there with you. He is close to the brokenhearted, and you have to believe and know that tears of sorrow will give way to tears of joy, laughter, and celebration,” she shared.
“As my momma used to say, happy sorrow,” Robin said, telling everyone to remember the saying, “I know joy is coming. God will amaze me.”
Eric Paulsen was a longtime and legendary New Orleans broadcaster
Eric Paulsen was a legendary WWL anchor who worked on New Orleans television for five decades. He also spent over 40 years as a morning news anchor and reporter for WWL Louisiana.
According to WWLTV, Paulsen died Saturday morning (October 26) after a courageous battle with cancer. Upon stepping away from the anchor desk in September, he informed viewers he had a “fairly aggressive” form of cancer and was “ready for this battle.”
In August, Paulsen received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club of New Orleans, and later, the New Orleans City Council honored him.
“I have been one of the luckiest people in the world. I have had so many wonderful experiences at Channel 4, I’ve met so many people. This is my hometown. I’ll never leave New Orleans,” he said during the New Orleans City Council’s event honoring him.
Paulsen initially joined WWL in 1977, becoming the anchor of the morning newscast. While he began anchoring solo, he later co-anchored with Andre Trevigne, and the newscast earned top ratings.
Per WWLTV, Paulsen co-anchored with Channel 4’s Sally-Ann Roberts in the 1990s, whom he once said was “like a sister.” Their Eyewitness Morning News stayed atop local ratings for over two decades.
Paulsen’s wife said he received an outpouring of support from many individuals, including friends and colleagues from around the country after he’d announced his cancer battle and stepped away from WWL.
“The outpouring of love and support has truly been overwhelming. Even for someone who was used to being in the spotlight, Eric was truly surprised and humbled by how many people reached out to support him,” Bethany Paulsen said.
Paulsen is survived by his wife, Bethany, and son, Emmet; a son, Jon, and a daughter, Lexei; a sister, Karen, and brother-in-law, Richard; and a brother, Kim.