BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore’s media community, family and friends are mourning the loss of Bill Toohey, the director of communications for the governor’s officer of crime control and prevention.

Toohey died early Thursday morning.

He had worked previously as the public information officer for the Baltimore County Police Department, appearing in many stories on WJZ-TV as the voice of the county police for 14 years.

Just a few weeks ago, it was discovered Toohey was suffering from a late stage of intravascular lymphoma.

Toohey’s son Liam said in an email:

“The love and support you’ve shown over the past two weeks has meant so much to all of us. Please continue to keep us, and my amazing dad, in your thoughts and prayers.”

Toohey worked in media since 1988, working public information director for the city’s housing department as well as a press secretary for two of U.S. Senators in Maryland – Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes.

For 22 years before that Toohey worked in radio — for two years in Baltimore at WJHU and prior to that in New York, according to his website.

“Bill Toohey was an old school kind of guy with absolute integrity and the highest standard of professionalism. He was a man with such generosity, always there with a kind word and helping hand. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Rosemary, his sons Liam and Desmond, and his daughters Meaghan and Merrily,” Mikulski said in a statement.

His family is asking for privacy at this time as they mourn his loss.

The family will receive friends at the Connelly Funeral Home in Dundalk, located at 7110 Sollers Point Road, on Sunday & Monday, from 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, 1727 Lynch Road, Dundalk, Maryland 21222.

Additional details can be found HERE.