Texas news anchor dies at 27 after brain tumor diagnosis: ‘A bigger-than-life spirit’

A beloved Texas television news anchor has died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Shatanya Clarke, 27, was “bigger than life” and optimistic despite being diagnosed with the tumor in 2020, her television station family at KFDZ said. Her spirit will live on in Wichita Falls along with fundraisers she helped spearhead.

She died at her home on Thursday, April 14.

Through a series on Clarke’s YouTube channel, she revealed her battle with the Myxoid Mesenchymal tumor she was diagnosed with at 25.

The Jamaica native underwent major brain surgery, chemotherapy and treatments for the tumor that was initially thought to be a severe headache. According to KFDZ, Clarke remained optimistic about treatments prior to her death.

“The truth is — Bob Marley said it first — you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice,” Clarke said in her final video of the series entitled “Shatanya’s Road to Recovery.”

Clarke joined the Wichita Falls station in 2018 as a reporter, and became a news anchor during the last year of her life, the station said.

She helped local charities during the coronavirus pandemic by hosting the “Help for the Helpers” segment, and was a major presence in the Texas community through her volunteer work.

“Shatanya was a bigger-than-life spirit,” news director Adam P. Bradshaw told the station. “Her wit and personality could brighten anyone’s day. She had a passion for telling stories in a way that really hit home. To say our family and this community will miss her is the understatement of the year.”

Clarke continued working throughout her illness, sharing the stories of those in her community, as well as her own.

“I’ve come to accept that my life turned out exactly as it was designed, or destined to be,” Clarke narrated in the final moments of her YouTube series. “Whether I like it or not, whether I understand the reason or not, I cannot change the things in my past. I can only control my present, and possibly make choices that positively affect my future.”

Wichita Falls is about 114 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

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