newscast Saturday with a tribute and personal remembrances delivered by a visibly-shaken Dennis House, D’Ascenzo’s longtime co-anchor. The sheer sudden nature of her death caught everyone off guard.Ĭhannel 3 led its 11 p.m. “In a crisis, we’d say, ‘Let’s go and get Denise.’ Now, she’s become the crisis, and it’s really jarring.” “It feels like we’ve lost our captain,” Neves said. That’s how D’Ascenzo was in the newsroom, at staff events outside the office and anywhere else, Neves said.ĭuring the toughest stories - the Lottery and Hartford Distributor shootings and especially the Sandy Hook school massacre - D’Ascenzo was a steady, reassuring presence. Her on air persona - coming across the airwaves as friendly and accessible - was not an act, Neves said. She also was recognized for work with such charitable organizations as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Mary’s Place and Channel 3 Kids Camp.ĭana Neves, WFSB’s general manager, remembers interning at the station in the 1990s, and how well she was treated by D’Ascenzo right from the first day. In the community, D’Ascenzo was a strong advocate for raising awareness of medical conditions such as breast cancer, heart disease and obesity. We will miss her huge heart, her boundless generosity and her tireless grace.' Richard Blumenthal observed that D’Ascenzo “epitomized competence, class and integrity. “We were lucky to have her as a colleague, and we will miss her greatly.” “Denise had a tremendous influence on generations of viewers across Connecticut through her dedication, passion and devotion to telling the stories that mattered,” said Andrew Julien, publisher & editor-in-chief at The Courant. visit of Pope John Paul II, the crash of United flight 232 and the arrest of the Washington, D.C., sniper. In addition to steady and reassuring presence on the news anchor desk, D’Ascenzo traveled to file special reports on such events as the 1988 Republican National Convention, the U.S. He added: “She is undoubtedly a Connecticut news legend.” “The work journalists provide is a vital public service, and through her career, Denise dedicated herself to the people of Connecticut.” “Through her dedicated work and dependable reporting, she earned the distinction of being a trusted name in journalism and her reporting most certainly made an impact,” Lamont said in a statement.

Ned Lamont noted that D’Ascenzo was the longest serving news anchor at a single television station in Connecticut, entering millions of homes for more than 30 years.

News anchor dies