Australian news anchor Nathan Templeton found dead on a footpath near Barwon River in Geelong, Victoria

An Australian news anchor who rose to fame for his coverage of the Olympics has been found dead. Nathan Templeton’s body was discovered on a footpath near the Barwon River in Geelong, Victoria on Tuesday (April 9).

In a statement to News.com Australia, authorities stated the death is "not being treated as suspicious at this stage". It has been reported he suffered a medical episode while out walking his dog.

Friends, family and colleagues of the 44-year-old, along with athletes who knew him, have begun to pay tribute. In a statement to Australian Broadcasting Corporation, his family, including wife Kate Coghlan and their two sons, said: "Our hearts are broken for an adoring father and a wonderful friend who'll be missed by many.”

The former Channel Seven anchor, nicknamed ‘Tempo’, was described as someone who “loved his job”. During a 7News Melbourne broadcast today (April 10), Managing Director Lewis Martin said: "It's really impacted a lot of people," 7News reflected during the April 10 show. "He was good at his job and he was a really good team member, and he loved his job."

Nathan began his broadcasting career at Network Ten, regularly appearing on the network's Breakfast program, also reporting for 10 News First in Melbourne. In June 2012, he moved to the Seven Network to join Seven News Melbourne as a sports reporter, covering major sporting events including the Australian Open.

In 2016, Templeton replaced Rebecca Maddern on Sunrise as its Melbourne correspondent, regularly substituted as sports presenter on both Sunrise and Weekend Sunrise. He was the poolside interviewer for the Seven Network at both the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. He stepped back from work in 2022.

The Australian Olympics team shared a tribute to the broadcaster on X (formally Twitter). They wrote: "Nathan was always a friendly face, knowledgeable and totally fair. Many in the Olympic family will have a very heavy heart as Nathan was one of the really good people we got to work with who really cared about our athletes. He will be greatly missed and our heartfelt condolences go to his family at this very difficult time."