Heather Gray, Emmy Award-winning executive producer of the CBS series The Talk, has died.
The cause of death is unknown but a letter alerting the staff and crew behind the show on Sunday revealed she had succumbed to “an unforgiving disease” following a brave battle. The letter was signed by George Cheeks (President & CEO of CBS), David Stapf (President, CBS Studios), Kelly Kahl (President, CBS Network Entertainment), Thom Sherman (Senior EVP, Programming CBS Network Entertainment), Amy Reisenbach (EVP Current Programs, CBS Network Entertainment), and Laurie Seidman (SVP, Daytime Programs, CBS Network Entertainment).
Gray joined The Talk midway through season one as senior supervising producer and was promoted to co-executive producer in August 2011. She was named an executive producer in August 2019. She earned two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment (2016 and 2018) and one NAACP Image Award (2016). Prior to The Talk, Gray served as a development producer at Endemol USA from 2010 to 2011 and supervising producer for The Tyra Banks Show from 2006 to 2010, where she garnered her first two Daytime Emmy Awards.
Read the letter in full below.
Dear Talk Family,
On behalf of all of us at CBS, we want to extend our deep condolences to you for the painful loss of our beloved Heather. She was an inspiration to us all, living and thriving while bravely battling an unforgiving disease. She showed us what true courage looks like.
Heather has been the heart and soul of “The Talk” from day one. Her brilliance as an innovative producer was only outmatched by her huge smile and infectious laugh. She was an admired, beloved mama bear of your family and a leader that all looked up to. Her contributions to the success of the show are immeasurable, but more importantly, she was a boss that proved you can lead with kindness, caring and friendship. Heather was everyone’s friend, everyone’s champion, everyone’s favorite person on the set. We will miss her terribly.
We recognize and share the pain and shock you are feeling at this moment, as well as the grief you will feel in the days ahead. While the show is starting its hiatus as of August 1 (Monday), we do not want you to grieve and mourn alone. The set will be open, and HR will have staff and grief counseling available in person and by phone. HR support will be on site as well. We understand how difficult this will be for all of you and want you to all know, that we are here for you.