Elise Finch, Emmy-winning meteorologist for CBS New York affiliate WCBS-TV, has died at 51.
In a statement released by the CBS New York team about Finch’s passing, they referred to her as “a friend and team member at WCBS for 16 years.”
“Elise was a gifted and consummate professional who took great care with her work. She was also a wonderful ambassador in the community, including her hometown of Mount Vernon,” the statement reads.
My heart is broken. Our team will never be the same. No one matched musical wits better. I’ll miss you much. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/Lp2zP60GZu
— Chris Wragge (@ChrisWragge) July 17, 2023
Very sad news. I had met @EFinchTV while I was a weather intern at WCBS. Although I didn't work for her often, when I did, I remember she was fun to be around, and she was very kind. She's a staple here in NYC, and we will miss her greatly. https://t.co/JSbxSBTsoy
— Mike Rizzo (@Meteor_Mike) July 17, 2023
Elise Finch loved music. The song of her life deserved many more verses.
— Tony Aiello (@AielloTV) July 17, 2023
Her gifts were many, and so too the lives she touched.
My deepest condolences to Graig and little Grace, her parents and sister, and all our CBS2 family. pic.twitter.com/VASGsIrnEO
I am so devastated to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague @EliseFinch. She was the best. A caring soul. https://t.co/PHcOZfqLpH
— Otis Livingston (@OlivingstonTV) July 17, 2023
Heartbroken today with the devastating news we lost our amazing friend and colleague Elise Finch. Her smile and positive energy always left a smile on everyone’s face. Our thoughts are with her husband Graig and daughter Grace and the entire Finch family. pic.twitter.com/tPywzVwm5d
— Steve Overmyer (@OvermyerTV) July 16, 2023
The statement continued, “Above all, Elise was a fiercely loving and devoted mother to her daughter Grace and wife to Graig Henriques, who is a photojournalist at WCBS.”
According to the network, Finch died at a local hospital. Her cause of death has yet to be determined.
Following the news of her passing, tributes poured in on Twitter from her former colleagues.
“My heart is broken. Our team will never be the same,” WCBS-TV morning co-anchor Chris Wragge wrote.
He continued, “No one matched musical wits better. I’ll miss you much. [CBS New York].”
CBS New York reporter Tony Aiello referenced Finch’s love for music.
“The song of her life deserved many more verses. Her gifts were many, and so too the lives she touched,” he added.
Aiello also gave his “deepest condolences” to her immediate family and work family.
“I am so devastated to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague [Elise Finch]. She was the best. A caring soul,” CBS-2 sports director Otis Livingston wrote.
CBS-2 sportscaster Steve Overmyer remembered Finch’s “smile and positive energy” which he said “left a smile on everyone’s face.”
“Our thoughts are with her husband Graig and daughter Grace and the entire Finch family,” he concluded.
Meteorologist Mike Rizzo reminisced on working with Finch when he was a weather intern at the network.
“Although I didn’t work for her often when I did, I remember she was fun to be around, and she was very kind. She’s a staple here in NYC, and we will miss her greatly,” he wrote.