Gary Detman, the digital news manager at South Florida CBS affiliate WPEC, died this week following a medical emergency.
Detman’s death was announced in a brief video message aired by WPEC (Channel 12) at the end of a newscast on Friday and posted to social media the same day. His passing occurred the previous day, according to two colleagues with knowledge of the situation.
The precise medical emergency that led to Detman’s passing has not been made public.
Detman, 53, joined WPEC as a digital content producer in 2014 and quickly grew the station’s website and associated digital properties to one of the strongest local news products in the West Palm Beach market.
Prior to joining WPEC, Detman held various newsroom jobs at TV stations in Jacksonville, Cleveland and Denver. He began his career as an intern at KUSA (Channel 9, NBC) in Denver while attending the University of Colorado.
It's with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague, Gary Detman.
Gary took charge of CBS12's digital efforts.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/aGXf31L9h8
— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) April 29, 2023
Detman received numerous Emmy Awards for his reporting at WPEC, including an Emmy for the documentary “50 Years on Channel 12” and a separate Emmy for breaking news after covering a shootout involving a local serial killer. He also helped WPEC earn an Edward R. Murrow Award for a breaking news story on an Amtrak train crash.
Sandy Collier, the CEO of “Hey Sandy! PR” in West Palm Beach, wrote on Facebook about the passing of the love of her life.
“He made me happy, I made him happy, he made my kids happy, he made his friends happy,” Collier wrote. “I don’t understand why he was taken. My heart is in pieces.”
Gary cared so deeply about his work. He turned the CBS12 website into a trusted source for local news in West Palm Beach.
The work meant so much to him and he meant so much to that team.
He will be missed. https://t.co/h0ngpUwqSw
— Jay O'Brien (@jayobtv) April 29, 2023
While no one can fill Gary Detman's shoes, I sure hope many carry on his legacy of journalism excellence. His lasting mark on the world. Condolences to all who loved & befriended him. No doubt that's a lot of people: https://t.co/WwWVNeubOG
— Kevin Olivas (@KevinOlivasMedi) April 29, 2023
Gary was a wonderful guy and it’s sad he died so suddenly. May he rest in peace. https://t.co/znjAtEgVi1
— @JohnColucci on 🧵 and ☁️ (@johncolucci) April 29, 2023
Memorial arrangements were not available as of Saturday morning.
WPEC is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
