A 26-year-old political journalist has died one day after she was found unconscious and barely breathing at her apartment in Southern California and placed into a medically-induced coma.

Bre Payton, a staff writer for right-wing news website The Federalist and a frequent TV commentator, was admitted into the ICU at a hospital in San Diego on Thursday morning.

After hours of tests doctors determined she was suffering from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, as well as possible meningitis, according to a CaringBridge page set up for her.

News of her hospitalization broke Friday morning. Just before noon Pacific, Federalist publisher Ben Domenech confirmed on Twitter that she had died.

'Bre has passed. We are devastated. Last we saw her, she was her funny, smart, vivacious self. Now lost to us so suddenly,' Domenech wrote.

Journalist Bre Payton passed away at the age of 26 on Friday, one day after she was hospitalized with the H1N1 flu virus and possible meningitis in San Diego, California. A friend had found Payton (left and right) unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday morning

Payton's death was confirmed on Twitter by Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, where she had worked as a staff writer for more than three years

Payton's friend Morgan Murtaugh, who found her unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday at around 8.30am, first revealed the journalist's hospitalization on Twitter Friday morning.

'24 hours ago I found my friend unconscious and called 911,' Murtaugh wrote. 'She’s been in a coma since and really needs a miracle right now. Please, if you’re religious at all, send prayers this way. We really need them.'

The CaringBridge site description said: 'The doctors are concerned that her neurological signs are not great at this point and have informed us the next 24-48 hours are going to be critical for her.

'At this time we're just asking that you lift Bre up in prayer and ask for a healing miracle and a full recovery.'

However, by midday Friday she had succumbed to the illness.

Payton's friend Morgan Murtaugh, who found her unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday at around 8.30am, broke the news of her hospitalization on Twitter Friday morning

Payton, who had been a staff writer for right-wing news site The Federalist for more than three years, received an outpouring of support in the hours after the news broke Friday

Payton, who had been on the Federalist staff for more than three years, received an outpouring of support from the community in the hours since the news broke.

Domenech tweeted: 'I am asking you all to pray this morning for our own @Bre_payton, who is battling a horrible and sudden medical condition.'

The CaringBridge site has been visited nearly 100,000 times as of Friday afternoon.

Payton was widely recognized for her appearances on national networks including Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. She had also been a guest host on One America News Network.

Domenech had tweeted asking for prayers for Payton's recovery earlier of Friday