Richard Engel honors deceased son on his 7th birthday

Richard Engel tries to find good on a very sad day.

The NBC News chief foreign correspondent paid tribute to his son Henry, who died of a neurological condition last month on what would have been his 7th birthday.

“Henry would have turned 7 today,” Engel, 49, tweeted Thursdaynext to a picture of Henry.

“Many thanks to everyone who has sent kind and thoughtful messages and donated in support of medical research to beat Rett syndrome. Happy Birthday Binks (our nickname).”

Engel also provided a link to Texas Children’s Hospital, which raises money for charity.

The journalist previously announced that Henry died of Rett syndrome — a rare neurological disorder that affects the way the brain develops — on Aug. 18, just five years after he was diagnosed with the incurable disease.

Henry Engel
Henry was diagnosed with Rett syndrome in 2017.
Richardengel/Twitter

“Our beloved son Henry has passed away. He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and an infectious giggle,” the journalist, who is married to Mary Forrest, tweeted at the time.

“We always surrounded him with love and he gave it back, and a lot more. Mary and Richard.”

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Engel and his wife, Mary Forrest, are also parents to 3-year-old son Theo.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via

Today - Season 67

Engel and his wife, Mary Forrest, are also parents to 3-year-old son Theo.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via

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Many of Engel’s colleagues, including Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, paid tribute to the young boy’s “sweet spirit” after his tragic death.

News of Henry’s passing came just months after Engel revealed his son’s health had “deteriorated”.

Henry Engel
Henry’s health deteriorated over the summer.
Richardengel/Twitter

“Unfortunately, for anyone following Henry’s story, he has deteriorated,” writes the NBC News correspondent tweeted back in June. “His condition progressed and he developed dystonia: uncontrolled trembling/stiffness.”

Engel continued: “He has been in the hospital for 6 weeks, but is now at home and is getting love from brother Theo.”

Henry Engel
Many of Engel’s colleagues paid tribute to Henry after his tragic death.
Richardengel/Twitter

According to the Mayo Clinic, dystonia is “a movement disorder in which your muscles contract involuntarily, causing repetitive or twisting movements.”

Engel and his wife are also parents to son Theo, whom they welcomed in August 2019.

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