Overview
- His family said he died on Jan. 14, 2026 at age 78, and the cause of death remains unknown.
- A viewing is scheduled for Feb. 5 at 5 p.m., with a funeral mass on Feb. 6 at 10 a.m., both at St. Brendan's Church in San Francisco.
- Vargas spent about 20 years at ABC7 covering politics and public affairs, part of a reporting career that spanned more than four decades.
- His work included the Patty Hearst kidnapping and the Moscone–Milk assassinations, earning a shared Emmy and contributing to a Peabody-winning 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake team.
- Former colleagues offered tributes describing him as an “ultimate all-around” reporter, and his family listed survivors including sister Mali Trower and sister-in-law Bobbie Vargas.