Esteemed Los Angeles Times Transgeneder Sportswriter Mike Penner Passed Away

Esteemed Los Angeles Times sportswriter Mike Penner passed away on Friday evening at the young age of 52.

He made headlines in 2007 for coming out as a transsexual and began to write under the name Christine Daniels for a brief period, yet the transition was difficult for him.

“Mike was a first-rate journalist, a valued member of our staff for 25 years, and we will miss him,” said Times Editor Russ Stanton. “He respected our readers a great deal, enough to share with them his very personal journey. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Penner’s cause of death has not been determined, but it is believed to be a suicide.

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