I got to know Doug Murphy pretty well. He was a good guy. A guy with a lot of personal problems but a good guy nonetheless. Murphy died in 2005 in a fire in his Lafayette home. When I first heard the news I was suspicious because I knew Murphy was battling a series of problems, most notably with the bottle. He was both a news and sports anchor at KPIX where he began his SF stint back in 1982. Murphy was tenacious, tough, great on the air--hell, he looked like the proverbial anchor. More than just great on the anchor seat he was also great as a street reporter.
While at PIX he dated Kate Kelly--one of the most popular SF TV anchors at the time. After the pair broke up, (it was amicable), Murphy settled down and met an Eastbay woman. He was the father of two kids.
Murphy was a big sports fan. He hung out at the Kings X sports bar in Oakland and was quite a big Giants fan. Most remember him as a vivacious, engaging, and friendly guy. Big personality. East-coast type of character and quite the heart.
In the prime of his career Murphy was so good that he was primed to go to CNN and considered some prime anchor gigs in NY, but opted to stay in the Bay Area.
One of the very best in the business--too bad his sad demise at the very end.
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