Stephen Colbert sobs in pain after demise of one of his staffers

Stephen Colbert holds tear amid sadness following the passing of a coworker.

In the last moments of Monday, April 1's broadcast of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the news was made public. Colbert, a 59-year-old talk show host, broke down in tears as he concluded, "That's it for the Late Show."

A solemn-looking Colbert bid farewell to his audience before walking off-screen. The black title card said, "Dedicated to our dear friend Amy Cole, 1970-2024."

According to Cole's obituary, she collaborated with Colbert for sixteen years. The obituary stated that Cole passed away on March 31 "peacefully" following a "brief illness." 53 was her age.

"Working with Colbert for 16 years was more than a job to Amy. It gave her a purpose and provided an opportunity to showcase herself as an incredible teammate to everyone involved. She was adored by her entire Late Show work family, and she will be greatly missed," the obituary reads.

Writer and producer Opus Moreschi, among other crew members, expressed their grief over her passing on X, the former Twitter platform. He referred to her as a "beacon of light and joy and calm in the swirling chaos of our workplace."

"I am absolutely gutted that she’s gone. If you love somebody with cancer (or even if you don’t) please consider giving to Amy’s favourite charity in her name," his post continued.

Director and producer Jake Plunkett wrote on X, "Words cannot measure how big a loss Amy Cole is to this world. F--- cancer."