On the June 25 episode ofWatch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, host Andy Cohen choked back tears while paying tribute to a former staffer, Kyra Samson, who died on June 23.
“During her four wonderful years with us, Kyra was known for her sweet smile and gentle demeanor,” Cohen shared. “She could also be a small, but mighty, enforcer. To see Kyra on a bullhorn, corralling massive crowds at BravoCon, was truly a sight to behold. She’s going to be terribly missed by all of us here, and no doubt by everyone who was lucky enough to know her.”
Below, we rounded up more to know about Kyra, including how she died, what she did for a living, and more.
What happened to Kyra Samson?
Kyra died from brain cancer. Her dad, David Samson, opened up about the 28-year-old’s cause of death in an Instagram post.
“Yesterday, my daughter, Kyra, passed away peacefully after a 9 month and 11 day fight against one of the cruelest diseases I’ve ever seen up close,” he wrote. “She was diagnosed with Brain Cancer, specifically Glioblastoma. I have felt all of your concern and love for these months and wasn’t ready to be anymore specific than I was.”
He shared some details about Kyra’s health journey, adding, “Kyra was a 28-year-old young woman who loved deeply and who is impossible to describe in 280 characters. While her life got stolen from her, she handled these months with courage, poise, and resolve. And all I want is for no family to feel what we feel today. For no young person to suffer the way she did.”
In another tribute, one of Kyra’s friends revealed that “last summer [Kyra] was perfectly and completely fine.” Per The Athletic, she received her diagnosis after Michael Davies, the executive producer forJeopardy!, noticed her symptoms and phoned her father to share his concerns.
Her father first shared news of Kyra’s health issues during a September 2025 episode of his podcast. “I’ve been gone for two weeks as my family has been dealing with a critical situation,” he said. “I have a daughter who is seriously ill, and it came out of nowhere. I have been spending the last two weeks trying to figure out how to do the only thing that matters, which is to take care of her and my other children and my family.”
What was Kyra Samson’s job?
Kyra was the live events production coordinator forJeopardy!, according to her LinkedIn. She started the position in March 2025, just months before she received her diagnosis. From April to June 2025, Kyra also worked as a production coordinator forWho Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Prior to that, she worked at Embassy Row, Bravo’s production company, from 2019 to 2024. She started as a production assistant forWWHL and at BravoCon 2019. In 2020, she became the executive assistant to the vice president of production and operations, line producer, andWWHL production manager. Kyra was promoted to production coordinator for WWHL later that year.
In 2022, she became the production manager for Cohen’s late-night show. She also led production for BravoCon and the Season 1 reunion forThe Traitors.
Kyra graduated from Northwestern University in 2020.
Who were Kyra Samson’s parents?
Kyra’s dad, David Samson, is a former Major League Baseball executive. From 2002 to 2017, he was the president of the Miami Marlins. He now hosts a sports podcast.
David was also a contestant in Season 28 of Survivor in 2014. He was the first person voted out.
Kyra’s mom is Cindi Jacobs, a former school director (Cindi and David divorced in 2019). She had a sister, Hannah, and brother, Caleb.
Was Kyra Samson in a relationship?
Yes, Kyra was engaged to William Truesdell, whom she met while they were attending Northwestern. They were together for eight years at the time of Kyra’s death.
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