Longtime KING and NBC News reporter, commentator and program host Jim Compton died Tuesday. He was 72.
Compton was found dead of an apparent heart attack in his parked car early Tuesday morning.
A former colleague said Compton had dinner with friends Monday night and never made it home.
Compton hosted The Compton Report on KING TV in the 1980s and 90s.
His work at KING earned him a dozen regional Emmy awards and a Columbia Dupont award.
He began his career as a radio news reporter in Portland before joining KING TV in the 1960s.
He later worked as a foreign correspondent for NBC News, and returned to KING in the 80s.
Compton served on the Seattle City Council from 1999 to 2006.
Compton earned his bachelor's degree in history at Reed College and his master's degree at the Columbia School of Journalism. He was a Fulbright scholar.
He is survived by his wife Carol.