INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Former New York Daily News Reporter, Michael Feeney, Dead At 32

By Clarissa Wilson
Published on: 18:52 PST, Feb 1, 2016

Michael Feeney, who was a former reporter for New York Daily News, died on Sunday. He was 32-years-old. Feeney fell ill last week, according to his mother, Reba Willis, and he went to the Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey on Tuesday. His mother told the Daily News that he went into cardiac arrest at 1:15 pm on Sunday.

The New York Daily News has reported that Michael died from complications of a staph infection in his kidneys. Feeney was set to start his dream job as an entertainment reporter at CNN soon. According to the report, he just recently posted on social media talking about one of his passions, professional wrestling. He also was posting on social media about how excited he was to watch the Superbowl, which he will now never see.

Everyone had good things to say about Feeney and he will be missed by everyone. In fact, his mother had this to say about how well-liked he was by everyone.

Mike did everything to help everyone. He did whatever he could with any person who he came across who wanted to know anything about journalism and about life.

The Reverend Al Sharpton had this to say about Feeney on Twitter.

Michael Feeney previously worked as a reporter for the Associated Press and The Record in New Jersey. He was from Teaneck, New Jersey, where he had checked into the hospital before dying.

Feeney started at The New York Daily News in 2009. In 2010, he was named emerging journalist of the year by the National Association of Black Journalists. One year later, in 2011, Michael became the president of the New York chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. The Root reported that he graduated from Delaware State University in 2005.

Many people thought highly of him. The current president of the National Association of Black Journalists had this to say about him:

He was a dedicated leader of the organization and an outstanding journalist.

The mayor of New York, just as everyone else who read his work, worked with him, or knew him personally was shocked to hear about his sudden death. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted this about Michael:

Journalist. Leader. Rising Star.

The Root also stated that, although funeral arrangements are currently pending, there has been a memorial set-up for him on the website, You Caring. According to the memorial fund page, $16,393 has been raised out of the $20,000 goal so far. The money raised will go to his family.

Not just the Reverend Al Sharpton and the mayor of New York poured out their expressions of love and how much they admired Michael, but according to HBCU Digest, many of his fellow students he went to college with and his friends and fellow journalists also poured out their love and admiration for Feeney all over social media.

Fellow president of the organization who is the president of one of the chapters of the organization, in which he was the New York chapter president of, Sarah Glover said,

I am shocked to learn of Michael’s passing. He was a respected leader with NABJ having served with distinction as chapter president of the New York Association of Black Journalists for years. His leadership led to that chapter receiving the NABJ Chapter of the Year Award. He was a tenacious journalist who possessed a passion and energy for telling stories of reflective communities—stories which otherwise might not have been told.

Michael Feeney will be missed among the journalism community.

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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