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Fiancée of deceased ESPN college football reporter writes beautiful tribute

She also clarified the 34-year-old had died after being diagnosed with a rare, often fatal disease.
ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff died on Tuesday on his 34th birthday after a brief illness.
ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff died on Tuesday on his 34th birthday after a brief illness.Edward Aschoff/Twitter
/ Source: TODAY

After her fiancé, ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff, died suddenly at the age of 34 on Christmas Eve, Katy Berteau posted a moving tribute to him in her words on his Twitter account.

“The outpouring of love, admiration, and gratitude for his life have been so incredible, and have helped me through these last few days,” she wrote on Dec. 26. “It has brought me brief moments of joy in this darkness to see all the pictures, videos, and memories of all the lives he touched."

Aschoff and Berteau were planning to get married when he fell ill. She wrote they visited the ER and a week later, he was admitted to the hospital where he was diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia.

She explained the antibiotic treatment for that failed, his symptoms got worse, and they went back to the ER. He was immediately admitted.

“After many tests — bone marrow and lung biopsies — treatment was started for a presumed diagnosis of HLH, an unregulated, over-activation of the immune system that causes it to attack itself and other healthy tissues,” she said. “Within 3 days of being moved into the ICU, he passed.”

Aschoff died on Dec. 24. Berteau said she wrote more details about what caused Aschoff's passing because "as a journalist, it was of the utmost importance to him that stories be accurate."

In the days after his passing, multiple media outlets including TODAY reported on Aschoff's pneumonia diagnosis he had tweeted about earlier this month. Berteau's tweets Thursday explained his later HLH diagnosis and what caused his early death.

Berteau went on to say in her note Thursday she just hoped others would remember how caring he was as a person.

“I want to share the brightness that he showed, even up until the last day he was awake. He kept the doctors and nurses constantly laughing, and always made a point to thank them and tell them what a great job they were doing,” she said. “He also loved Christmas so much that, even from the ICU, he was coordinating with my friend about wrapping my presents so I could be surprised.”

She added they are working out the details for memorial services, with one in Aschoff's hometown of Oxford, Mississippi and another in Atlanta, where he lived.

Aschoff joined ESPN in 2011 and regularly appeared on ESPN.com, SportsCenter, SEC Network and ESPN Radio with his coverage of college football.

In the days since his passing, his colleagues and fellow journalists have been offering tributes to the reporter in his memory.

“Ed was one of the smartest, brightest reporters I've ever had the pleasure of working with," ESPN executive editor Lauren Reynolds said in a statement. "For as good of a reporter Ed was, he was an even better person. He always put people first -- those whose stories he told, and those who had the honor of working alongside him.

"The outpouring of love and support from those whose lives he touched has been overwhelming and is a testament to the light he brought to this world."

Berteau shared those sentiments and thanked people for their tributes in her note.

“He loved people with his entire being,” she wrote. “Thank you all again for loving him as much as he loved you.