Bill Hanna, the public information officer for Tarrant County government and a former senior reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has died.
He was 62.
Hanna died “peacefully and unexpectedly” earlier this week while on vacation with his family in Mexico.
Hanna served as the chief spokesman for Tarrant County since 2019. Before that, he was a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 29 years, covering some of the biggest stories in North Texas. His work included an award-winning series on rural doctors, coverage of the 1993 Branch Davidian standoff in Waco and a 2008 raid of a polygamist compound in West Texas.
Jack Douglas Jr., an investigative producer at NBC 5 who worked with Hanna at the Star-Telegram, recalled when they were sent to New York City to cover the 9/11.
“Bill was just easy to be around. He was a fun guy, but when it came down to getting the story and reporting it, Bill was accurate and factual,” Douglas said.
“When there was a person in need, Bill was there,” he said. “Tarrant County has lost a tremendous advocate. Bill made things better for people.”