16 WAPT News weekend reporter Dorothea Celeste Wilson died suddenly of a heart attack on Tuesday, August 26. She was 42.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of our dear colleague Dorothea Wilson,” Clarence “C.C.” Copeland, President and CEO of LPB, said in a statement.
“LPB has lost not only a valued staff member but also a remarkable individual whose dedication and kindness touched everyone with whom she worked.”
NABJ mourns the loss of Dorothea Celeste Wilson. Her colleagues at WAPT in Jackson, Miss. say she recently joined the news team as a weekend anchor and unexpectedly passed away. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/iDHnLEzLym
— #NABJ Headquarters ??????? ? ? ? ? (@NABJ) August 28, 2025
“Though Celeste had only been with us a short time, we were already touched by her professionalism, warmth, and dedication to the work of journalism,” WAPT News wrote in an editorial on Wednesday.
“All of us here at 16 WAPT are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and our thoughts are with Celeste’s family and friends,” the WAPT editorial reads.
Wilson had recently joined WAPT as a weekend anchor.
According to WAPT, Wilson began her broadcasting career at a CBS affiliate in Monroe, LA, after earning a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern State University and a master’s degree from Arizona State University.
She worked at several local news stations, and co-hosted a weekly PBS program.
