LOS ANGELES, California -- The cause of death of KTLA morning news anchor Chris Burrous , who was found not breathing at a Glendale hotel on Dec. 27, was methamphetamine toxicity, the coroner's office said Friday.Burrous was found that afternoon at a Days Inn in Glendale after someone called 911 about a person who was not breathing. Paramedics performed CPR and transported him to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner performed an autopsy the next day and determined that the cause of death was methamphetamine toxicity. Other contributing factors included hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.His death was classified as an accident.Burrous joined KTLA in 2011, where he anchored over the weekends and covered news during the weekday mornings.At the time of his death, Don Corsini, the station's president and general manager, as well as News Director Jason Ball issued a joint statement:"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family," the statement said.<doc-sep>UPDATED with cause of death: KTLA anchor Chris Burrous’s death has been ruled accidental, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office. Burrous died on Dec. 27 from what the coroner called methamphetamine toxicity, authorities said today. Other contributing factors in Burrous’ death included hypertension and heart disease. Burrous is survived by his wife Mai and 9-year-old daughter Isabella. EARLIER: KTLA Morning News reporter and weekend anchor Chris Burrous died Thursday after being found unconscious at a Glendale motel. His death is being investigated as a possible overdose, police said. He was 43. Burrous was found unresponsive at a Days Inn in Glendale after a male he was with called authorities around 1:15 PM to report he had passed out and was possibly not breathing, Glendale Police Sgt. Dan Suttles said at a news briefing. Paramedics administered CPR before transporting Burrous to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, officials said. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office is working to determine the official cause of death. Related Story Linda Torres Dies: 'Big Ang' Cast Member Was 67 Burrous joined KTLA in 2011 after working for 14 years as a reporter and anchor at news stations across the country, After stints at stations in the Bay Area and South Dakota, he joined KGET in Bakersfield in 1999 as a morning news anchor. It was there that he met his wife, journalist Mai Do-Burrous. He also was a morning news anchor at both KGPE in Fresno and KMAX in Sacramento and also worked for a time at KTLA sister station WPIX in New York City, where he was an anchor. At KTLA, Burrous helped extend Morning News to seven days a week, anchoring weekends and covering breaking news on weekday mornings. His weekend Burrous’ Bites segments, on which he highlighted the best hole-in-the-wall eateries Southern California has to offer, were a viewer favorite. He was also part of the KTLA news team that covered the recent devastating wildfires and the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family,” KTLA President and General anger Don Corsini and News Director Jason Ball said in a joint statement. “Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.” Burrous is survived by his wife and 9-year-old daughter.<doc-sep>KTLA News anchor Chris Burrous, who was found unresponsive in a Glendale motel room in December, died from methamphetamine toxicity, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Friday. The coroner said hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were also factors in his death. The coroner’s investigative report said Burrous was taking methamphetamine during a sexual encounter at the motel, including inserting the drug into his rectum. The other person in the motel room, a man the coroner said Burrous met on a dating site, performed CPR on him before paramedics arrived, the report said. Advertisement On Dec. 27, police were called to a room at the Days Inn, where they found Burrous, 43, not breathing, the Glendale Police Department said. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died. His death stunned fans and colleagues at KTLA. Burrous earned a broadcast journalism degree from Chapman University, and joined KTLA in 2011 after 14 years as a reporter and anchor at news stations across the country, mostly in the Central Valley. Burrous helped expand “Morning News” to a seven-day program, anchoring weekends and covering breaking news on weekday mornings, the station said.<doc-sep>
KTLA 5 morning news anchor Chris Burrous‘ cause of death has been revealed. Burrous “was found to have died from methamphetamine toxicity,” according to a release from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner on Friday. “Other contributing factors include hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” the release states. His death has been determined as an accident. Two days after Christmas, Burrous was found unresponsive on Dec. 27 at a Days Inn hotel in Glendale. After authorities were called, he was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead at 2:06 p.m. He was 43. According to the Glendale police news release obtained by PEOPLE, the department received a call from a male friend who was with Burrous advising that the anchor was “passed out and was possibly not breathing” from a potential overdose. Though the fire department responded to the scene and paramedics administered CPR, Burrous was pronounced dead at the hospital. “What we know at this point is that the call came in as a medical emergency, and that’s how it was handled,” Glendale Police Sgt. Dan Suttles said in a news briefing. One day later, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed an autopsy was performed on Dec. 28 and a cause of death was deferred pending further investigation. Burrous, who joined the KTLA team in 2011, became a viewer favorite: he helped expand the morning news to seven days a week by anchoring on weekends, and also had his own segment “Burrous’ Bites,” where he highlighted Southern California’s best hole-in-the-wall eateries. He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Mai Do-Burrous, and their 9-year-old daughter, Isabella. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers,” said KTLA president Don Corsini and news director Jason Ball in a joint statement. “He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.”