R.I.P. Adan Manzano: Sports Journalist Dead At 27 While Covering Super Bowl LIX
Rising sports journalist Adan Manzano passed away Feb. 5 while on assignment covering the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. He was 27.
His employer, Telemundo Kansas City, announced his passing in a statement.
“Adan was an exceptional professional and a rising star whose dedication and talent reflected excellence in his work,” the station said. “We will deeply miss Adan, his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community.” The statement notes the station is “cooperating with authorities as they investigate this tragic event.”
The Super Bowl LIX would have been the third Super Bowl Manzano covered. His last post on X showed him attending a press conference with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes earlier this week.
“Always grateful to God, to life and to my bosses. Let’s go for our 3-peat!” Manzano wrote in one of his final social media posts as he touched down in New Orleans for the Super Bowl.
People reports the young journalist was found unresponsive in at the Contempra Inn in Kenner, Louisiana, after he failed to check out of his room.
Photo: Facebook/Adan Manzano
Tim Genevay of the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office told the outlet an autopsy has already been completed. No signs of trauma or foul play were detected, but a cause of death is pending as they investigate how Manzano died.
Per local reports, Danette Colbert was taken into custody by local authorities in connection to Manzano’s death after she was seen leaving his hotel room alone and using his credit card at multiple stores in the area. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley noted Colbert has been accused of “drugging men, stealing money, and fraudulent credit card use” before.
Manzano’s death comes just one year after his wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, died in a car accident in April 2024. The couple leave behind a daughter, Eleanor.
Born in Mexico City, Manzano settled down in Topeka before later graduating from Kansas State University. Manzano worked as a Spanish-speaking sideline reporter for Telemundo KC.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas remembered the late journalist Manzano with a touching statement on social media.
“Adan was so young and full of energy, and truly covered almost every event in the community. So very sad to see this news. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” Lucas said.
