Wendy Rieger, NBC4 Washington reporter, dies from brain cancer at 65

Wendy Rieger, a longtime NBC4 Washington anchor and reporter, died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer.

"We lost our smart, vibrant, wonderful Wendy Rieger today," the news station said in a statement on Twitter. "She had so many passions and lived life sharing them with everyone she could."

Rieger, 65, was diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago and underwent surgery and treatment. Her cancer returned aggressively a few weeks ago, the station said.

In an update Friday, the station said she had been placed in hospice. She died while holding her hands with her husband, Dan.

"For more than 30 years, NBC4 Washington viewers benefited from her unique style that blended humor, intelligence and compassion, and we are all better for knowing her," the station said in its statement.

Rieger went to college at American University in D.C. She got her start in radio, working at stations including WAMU and WTOP, before switching to television. She announced her retirement in December to focus on her health.

NBC4 Washington described Rieger as someone who could light up the screen and said she was "smart, funny, compassionate and authentically herself."

Before her death, she wrote a message to her colleagues. "As you know, I have lived my life big and loud. It is my nature. And I’ve had a blast. But a stillness has come over me that is profound and potent. I didn’t know I could be this quiet. Life is not always a test. It is a teaching. I must learn this lesson with grace. And I will."

Her death was mourned by many people on social media.

"Wendy saw I was on a story in Rappahannock near her home. She emailed, inviting me & the photog to her home to edit and have lunch, I barely knew her & was blown away by her hospitable offer," reporter Drew Wilder tweeted.

"I’m heartbroken over the passing of one of DC’s most beloved anchors, Wendy Rieger. Wendy delivered the news honestly — with humor, heart, & expertise and she will be missed dearly. Our hearts are with Dan, her @nbcwashington family, and the many, many people who loved Wendy," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote.