Rick Bradfield Death – Obituary | Rick Bradfield Has Died

I write this message with a heartbreak into million-plus pieces and on behalf of his beloved partner, Cassy, and his son, Rob. Rick Bradfield unexpectedly passed away today. Rick Bradfield, affectionately known as ‘Bradfield’ was the most gifted and skillful journalist the world had to offer and his impact left a mark on the lives of thousands who came through our newsroom, including mine. Rick was my first news director nearly 20 years ago at KWTX. He’s been there 45 now and if those years could talk, they’d tell the story of a many-a-young journalist who found comfort and guidance under his wing. How lucky we are. On my first day as a producer at Channel 10 and at just 21-years-old, I was told to write ‘show teases’ for the much more experienced producers’ shows. I didn’t even know what that meant, but I nodded my head afraid of looking clueless in a group setting. As everyone else left the meeting table, Bradfield slid a piece of notebook paper over to me without saying a word and walked away. I looked down to find Rick had written the teases for me. That interaction would be the first of countless ways Bradfield helped me over the years. I’m one of the few who had the absolute honor of growing in my career with him for decades but to me, no matter how much experience I got under my belt, Rick had the final say. To this day, I don’t write a single story without emailing for his approval. We talk and exchange emails daily, phone calls, and texts. We’d just talked today at 9:52 a.m. before I got the crushing news around lunchtime that my friend and mentor were gone. Rick was at the ground level of creating KWTX.com. I was there for that transition and that website was his baby. If you’ve ever read a story there, Rick likely had a hand in it. Bradfield was dedicated to his craft and people always came first. He held himself to the highest of standards and poured himself into our newsroom but not just the building or the day-to-day craziness, but in our staff and making sure the public’s needs were always top of mind. If there was a story to be told or a way to help others with information, Rick was there to crank it out. He was a walking Encyclopedia. If you had a question, Rick knew the answer or at least where to find it. I think all of us who had the honor of working under Rick wanted to be Bradfield when we got older. I still do. To this day, he still approved every single web story I wrote, daily. If my name was on it, Bradfield’s should have been right behind it. I learned from his corrections and suggestions. I soaked in every word Rick ever told me. Bradfield was the gold standard. In our profession and as loving human beings. I don’t have the words to express how much I love Rick Bradfield. For me, my life is changed forever knowing him. Today, the world seems so much dimmer, but we will carry your light with us always, Rick. Rest in peace to the best journalist and man that ever lived. I will miss you every single story filed, and headline writing, and every single day.