Who was Uma Pemmaraju? Tributes pour in as Fox news anchor dies aged 64

Fox News anchor Uma Pemmaraju passed away on August 8 at the age of 64. Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott expressed her grief by stating:

“We are deeply saddened by the death of Uma Pemmaraju, who was one of FOX News Channel’s founding anchors and was on the air the day we launched. Uma was an incredibly talented journalist as well as a warm and lovely person, best known for her kindness to everyone she worked with. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her entire family.”

Pemmaraju’s cause of death has not been revealed and detailed information about her funeral is not available at the moment.

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Uma Pemmaraju had been with Fox News since its inception

Uma was born on March 31, 1958, in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India. However, she grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where she enrolled at Trinity University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

She attended American University and studied international relations for a year as a part of an exchange program with Trinity University.

Pemmaraju joined KENS-TV and the San Antonio Express-News newspaper as a producer and reporter during the initial stages of her career. She was the editor of her college newspaper and joined KTVT-11 as a news anchor and correspondent. She then worked at WMAR-TV in Baltimore, WLVI, and Boston’s WBZ-TV. She was a correspondent and producer for WBZ’s Evening Magazine.

She then gained recognition as the host and anchor of America’s News Headquarters w/Uma Pemmaraju on Fox News. She was also a reporter for Bloomberg News.

She was a member of the Fox News team when the network first launched in October 1996. She hosted various shows and specials and interviewed well-known personalities like Dalai Lama, Buzz Aldrin, Carly Simon, Whoopi Goldberg, and others.

Pemmaraju was named Boston’s Best Anchor by Boston magazine in 1996 and 1997. She was the recipient of several Emmy Awards for her reporting and investigative journalism along with a Texas AP Award, the Woman of Achievement Award from the Big Sisters Organization of America, and the Matrix Award from Women in Communications.

Uma’s net worth was estimated to be around $4 million. She amassed the majority of her wealth through her career as an anchor and host.

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Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about Pemmaraju's death:

Pemmaraju was married to millionaire Andrew Petkun and they had a daughter, Kirina Alana Devi. Pemmaraju and Petkun later divorced for unknown reasons.