Redding Fire Chief Gerry Gray. who was beloved in the community and known for his friendliness and almost daily tweets, has died, the funeral director for Hoyt-Cole Chapel of Flowers in Red Bluff said.
Funeral director Jack Kirchert said his funeral home is handling the arrangements but did not have any additional information about the fire chief's sudden and unexpected death.
Redding firefighters tweeted the fire chief had died in his sleep on Monday morning.
"At this time his (family) and the RFD is grieving this sudden loss. We ask that you respect his families privacy during this difficult time," the tweet read. City officials said in a statement Monday that Gray was more than just an employee. He was a friend, it said.
Gray began his employment with the city in September 2008, serving as a battalion chief and then deputy fire chief before assuming his role as fire chief in July 2015.