A popular Australian reporter has been found dead. The 44-year-old reportedly collapsed while walking his dog near a river in Geelong, a Victoria town located around 65 miles from Melbourne. Nathan Templeton, who achieved national fame as a sports reporter at several Olympic games, retreated from public view in recent years to deal with personal issues.
The cause of Templeton’s death is unknown, and media reports merely describe him as suffering a “medical episode.” Ann Sanders, a presenter on the prominent Channel Seven network, announced her former colleague’s death on a news broadcast, stating that the network sent its “deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Victoria Police issued a statement confirming that emergency services attended the scene following a call from a member of the public and found Mr. Templeton’s body. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Subsequent media reports noted that the correspondent had been suffering from depression and receiving professional support.
Channel Seven’s director of sport, Lewis Martin, emailed newsroom colleagues to inform them of Templeton’s death. “Nathan was a respected journalist whose passion for storytelling was evident in all his years reporting,” the email read.
Mr. Templeton worked with Channel Seven for 12 years and reported from the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2020, the 2018 Commonwealth Games from Queensland, and several Australian events, covering various stories.
Former colleagues left warm tributes online. Senior Channel Seven reporter Nick McCallum tweeted that Templeton had a rare ability to report heartwarming and heartbreaking stories with equal emotion. McCallum described his sports reporting as remarkable because he allowed the athletes “to shine.”
Veteran Queensland journalist Jim Wilson wrote that he was “deeply saddened” by the death of a man he admired and respected. Former Australian rules football star Tony Shaw described Mr. Templeton as professional, personable, and “a bloody good bloke,” while one of Channel Seven’s most senior investigative reporters, Louise Milligan, said he was a “sweet, genuine guy.”
