Beloved NY1 journalist Ruschell Boone — who bravely came back to the anchor chair this year after a brutal battle with pancreatic cancer — died Tuesday. She was 48.
NY1, where Boone worked as a reporter and news anchor for over two decades, confirmed her death in an internal email shared with The Post.
“She was a dedicated and principled journalist to the very end,” the memo said.
“In her last week with us, she was still working on ideas for her show and sharing thoughts for making NY1 a continued beacon of truth for New Yorkers.”
She is survived by her two sons, Jackson, 12, and Carter, 10, and her husband, Todd.
“Ruschell recently shared that every day we spend with our loved ones is a victory,” the internal memo said. “Ruschell made every moment feel victorious and every day feel special. We’re heartbroken we won’t get to have more days with her.”
Boone was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021, when nagging, vague stomach discomfort evolved into horrible pains and a trip to the emergency room.
A CT scan revealed the devastating news.
“I just started wailing, crying and looking at my husband, thinking I heard it incorrectly,” she had told The Post after the diagnosis.
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m dead’ … My kids are going to grow up without a mother,” she added.
From June 2022 through March of this year, Boone stepped away from her responsibilities at the anchor desk to receive chemotherapy.
In March, she returned to the anchor chair for the Charter Communications-owned network, and told her devoted viewers of her noon newscast that the chemo was “so brutal,” but she was back to “feeling great.”
Her first interview back on NY1 was with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who tweeted saying that “our city is so lucky to have @RuschellBoone back where she belongs — behind the anchor desk and holding all of us in positions of power to account.”
However, just four months after being declared cancer-free, Boone revealed on social media that her battle with cancer had taken a turn for the worse.
“I’m very touched by all who reached out to see how I’m doing. Unfortunately, my cancer has metastasized in my liver and I’m back in treatment. It’s rough, but the chemo is working,” Boone shared to her Instagram and X accounts in late July.
“Prayers have carried me through the difficult moments. Thank u for rooting for me.”
Since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the newswoman became a strong advocate in the battle against pancreatic cancer.
She recently posted on Instagram sharing that she was emceeing and participating in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Purple Stride walk to end pancreatic cancer, which happened in April.
An earlier post shows that she also attended Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Comedy vs Cancer fundraiser event.
“Ruschell’s legacy will be defined by that outstanding journalism and, more than anything, her remarkable ability to connect.
“Ruschell was effervescent in every sense of the word,” the memo to staff said. “She was, simply put, a joy to be around. It was those traits that allowed her to deeply engage with New Yorkers, as well as behind the scenes with her colleagues.”
“Ruschell will always be remembered for her service to the people of New York, especially her beloved boroughs of Queens and the Bronx. We will not be the same without her.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
