A local television anchor’s long bout with cancer has come to a sad end.

WCIA-TV is announcing that longtime main anchor Dave Benton passed away this morning at his Champaign-area home, surrounded by his family.  Benton, a native of the Chicago area, first started at Channel 3 in 2005.  He just last month announced he was stepping away from the anchor desk, due to the tumor in his brain continuing to grow despite treatment.

Benton was first diagnosed with the tumor a year and a half prior — and at the time, doctors said he only had a few months to live.

A statement from the station says Benton “battled brain cancer and showed the world how to face death with bravery and grace.” Funeral services have not yet been announced.