Missouri Sports Reporter Ben Arnet Has Died at Just 43 Years Old, but What Happened?

Every Missouri sports fan who relied on KOMU 8 for their news is now mourning the loss of Ben Arnet, the channel's sports director. KOMU 8 announced the news that Ben had died on Aug. 29, saying that he died the day before while covering the Missouri game.

Ben, who was just 43 years old, leaves a family behind, which has naturally led many to wonder exactly what happened to him. Here's what we know.

Ben's death has not yet been explained, but given that he was working when he died, it seems like whatever happened to him was a sudden event. Although Ben was a local public figure, his family likely expects to maintain some privacy as they work through the shock surrounding his death.

“I firmly believe that what we do best, we do together, and Ben embraced that philosophy in his work," KOMU 8 General Manager Matt Garrett said.

"Being the sports director at KOMU 8 means bringing students with you every step of the way, and sometimes that can be difficult if you don’t have the passion that Ben had for seeing the next generation of sports journalists take shape in front of his eyes," he continued. "He was a tremendous asset to KOMU 8 and a landmark in the journeys of the students and staff who worked with him. He won’t be forgotten here at the station and in the mid-Missouri sports community.”

We don't have any information about his cause of death, although there has been speculation on Reddit that he suffered from a heart attack or another cardiac event. That is just speculation, though, and is based only on the fact that he appeared to die quite suddenly.

We might not ever know exactly what his cause of death was, as it would require that his family disclose that information to the public.

“The Missouri School of Journalism and KOMU has lost a veteran sportscaster, a dedicated mentor and a consummate colleague in Ben Arnet," Dean David Kurpius said. "In addition to being a beloved voice in the community as KOMU-TV’s sports director, Ben was a key part of KOMU’s annual tradition of Friday Night Fever, during which he would help students coordinate coverage of high school football games all over mid-Missouri."

"Students often cite that experience — and Ben’s enthusiastic guidance — as a highlight of their college careers. He will be dearly missed," he added.

Clearly, then, Ben was beloved by those who knew him, and by the many people who turned into his regular sports dispatches over the years.

Losing a friend, colleague, or television personality at such a young age is a remarkable tragedy, and it's one that those close to Ben will be dealing with for years to come. As for the rest of us, we can be grateful that he got the chance to broadcast about sports in his home region for as long as he did.