Jim Avila's Cause Of Death, Ex-ABC News Correspondent Dies At 69 Of Health Troubles Or Fatal Fall?

Award-winning veteran journalist, Jim Avila has died at the age of 69. He passed away on November 13, 2025 ET, at his home in San Diego, California. ABC News Live anchor, Diane Macedo, announced the news of Jim's passing during his live reportage for television. ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic also released a statement honouring Jim's contributions in the field. Diane mentioned that Jim Avila suffered from serious health issues before leaving the world. Jim's brother, Jaie Avila, shared details of the ailment.

Why did Jim Avila die? What happened to him?

Jim Avila passed away after battling a lengthy illness. He "faced health challenges with courage, including a kidney transplant donated by his brother", as shared by journalist, Diane Macedo. While initial reports cited a long illness as the cause of death, a friend of his later stated he died from complications following a fall. The friend concerned was NBC News correspondent, Josh Mankiewicz, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Jim Avila's brother, KABB I-Team reporter, Jaie Avila, recalled the deterioration of the condition of Jim's kidney over the years. He stated:

"Jim was dedicated to his career as a journalist, but he loved his three children most of all, Jamie, Jenny and Evan. The kidney transplant allowed him to see one of his children get married, as well as the birth of his two grandchildren, so that was a tremendous blessing."

Jaie expressed gratitude that his late brother was able to witness some of his life's best moments after Jaie donated a kidney to him. Jaie called it a 'tremendous blessing' for Jim to see his child get married and also witness the birth of his grandchildren. Not just Jaie, Jim was also extremely grateful for the second shot at life that he got through the kidney transplant. According to a Fox23 report, Jim Avila felt that he would have passed away sooner if he didn't have the support of his loving family, particularly his brother, Jaie and his kids. He felt like he had won a race as he underwent eight years of dialysis. Jim was quoted as saying:

"I wouldn't have lived, I mean Jaie...Jaie and my kids saved my life. There's no way I could have done six to eight years on dialysis. We had a big race to get this done before dialysis, and we won the race, which is great."

About the late Jim Avila

Jim Avila was a highly regarded journalist with a career spanning over four decades at both local and national levels, working for major networks including ABC News and NBC News. Jim spent nearly two decades with ABC News, serving as a senior law and justice correspondent and White House correspondent during the Obama administration. He was known for breaking the news of the U.S. and Cuba reopening diplomatic relations, which earned him the prestigious Merriman Smith Memorial Award from the White House Correspondents Association.

Jim was a notable investigative reporter, famously covering the 'pink slime' story that led to a high-profile defamation lawsuit. His work earned him numerous accolades, including multiple Emmy Awards and Edward R. Murrow Awards. After leaving ABC News in 2021, he returned to local journalism at the ABC affiliate, KGTV in San Diego, as a senior investigative reporter. Jim's death brought forth an outpouring of tributes from his colleagues across the industry, with ABC News President, Almin Karamehmedovic, calling him "a gifted journalist and a generous colleague." Almin's statement could be read as:

"We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan, and we thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth."

We share our heartfelt condolences with Jim Avila's family and hope they find the strength to cope with the grief of his passing.

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