Former New York Times reporter Alan Finder has died due to the novel coronavirus, according to a tweet by Times investigative reporter Kevin Sack.

"With the morning comes the devastating news that a member of our @nytimes family, Alan Finder, has died of the virus," Sack wrote.

"Alan, who retired a few years ago, was a terrific reporter, a calming presence and, as anyone who knew him will attest, one of the menschiest guys around. RIP," he continued.

With the morning comes the devastating news that a member of our @nytimes family, Alan Finder, has died of the virus. Alan, who retired a few years ago, was a terrific reporter, a calming presence and, as anyone who knew him will attest, one of the menschiest guys around. RIP. pic.twitter.com/VjANxBIHEg — Kevin Sack (@ksacknyt) March 24, 2020

Finder retired from his full-time position at the Times in 2011 after 28 years of service. One of the many posts he held was assistant editor of the newspaper's foreign desk. His previous beats included transportation, housing, labor, city government, City Hall bureau chief and urban affairs reporter, as well as higher education, according to his LinkedIn page.

Before working at the Times, the Yale graduate also had stints at Newsday and the Bergen Record, which are located in the New York/New Jersey area.



Several of Finder's colleagues paid tribute in marking his passing on Twitter.

I'm so sad to hear this. He was a lovely guy and a kind, human presence on the foreign desk backfield, an editor who would always say "thank you" even when editing a short daily. My thoughts are with his family. — Rachel Donadio (@RachelDonadio) March 24, 2020

This is devastating news. Alan mentored so many of us on New York City politics and was the consummate Room 9 reporter. And as Kevin points out, no one was more decent and kind. He will be deeply missed. — David Firestone (@fstonenyc) March 24, 2020

Decent. Kind. Collegial. A strong reporter. A real pro. — Joel Siegel (@joelmsiegel) March 24, 2020

Man, this hurts. Alan Finder was one of the @NYTSports editors I interviewed with when I got the job in 2004. Warm, witty, smart as hell, and incredibly supportive, even after he left sports. Condolences to his family and all my former NYT colleagues. #RIP https://t.co/5FCKS6ZVDN — Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 24, 2020

Finder was 72.