Allison Payne, Longtime Chicago TV News Anchor, Passed Away at 57

Allison Payne, the longtime TV news anchor for Chicago’s WGN, passed away on September 1 at the age of 57.

Payne was a Detroit native who joined WGN in 1990 at the age of 25 and quickly established herself as an accomplished newswoman.

Payne traveled to Kenya to trace the family roots of then-Senator Barack Obama and joined the Rev. Jesse Jackson on a trip to Ivory Coast.

Payne won nine Emmys at WGN throughout her 21-year career with the network. She also co-anchored both the station’s primetime newscast as well as the midday news show.