Stephen Colbert shares a tearful goodbye as he pays tribute to a beloved colleague. Find out the touching story behind this emotional moment. With uncharacteristic solemnity, Colbert says goodbye to his audience before the station runs a tribute to Amy Cole, the comedian’s longtime aide who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 53. The black card read “Dedicated to our dear friend Amy Cole, 1970-2024.”

An obituary for Cole, obtained by PEOPLE Magazine, reveals that Cole died unexpectedly “after a brief illness.” A representative for the show has not commented to the magazine on the circumstances of her death.

Colbert and Cole partnered up for 16 years going back to his time as host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” a spinoff earned by the comedian after garnering rave reviews from audiences for his time as a correspondent for Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.” According to the obit, Cole worked in production for Comedy Central as early as 2002, steeping herself in comedy culture with Colbert and her work on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.” Tributes from her former colleagues began pouring out on X following the news.

Opus Moreschi, another writer for Colbert, wrote that Cole was a “beacon of light and joy and calm in the swirling chaos of our workplace.” “I am absolutely gutted that she’s gone. If you love somebody with cancer (or even if you don’t) please consider giving to Amy’s favorite charity in her name,” his post continued.

“Words cannot measure how big a loss Amy Cole is to this world. F*** cancer,” wrote director Jake Plunkett, the only hint of what may have led to Cole’s loss of life. An online donation page in Cole’s name has collected over $25,000 as of Thursday morning with the promise to benefit causes to eliminate childhood cancer, which Plunkett added was near and dear to her heart.

“Those who had the good fortune of knowing Amy experienced her as the ultimate caregiver. Her ability to forge lasting friendships was unparalleled, and her love for travel allowed her to spread her goodwill across the globe,” her obituary reads.

“Amy is survived by her loving parents, Kathy and Warren Cole, her sisters Abby (Mike) Miggins and Libby (Sean) Clancy, her nieces Molly, Cate, Lucy, and Claire Miggins, her nephew Jack Clancy, as well as numerous other surrogate nieces and nephews. Her circle of friends is too numerous to begin to estimate. Once you met Amy, you were a friend for life.”