2.7K views · 69 reactions | NBC's Jessica Savitch reports on the death of Princess Grace Kelly, following injuries sustained in a car accident in 1982. The Philadelphia area native left a highly acclaimed acting career to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco. She was 52. One year later, Philadelphia area native Jessica Savitch lost her own life in a car accident in New Hope, PA. She was 36. | Old Images of Philadelphia | Facebook

It took Jessica Savitch nearly two decades to climb to the top of the national broadcast heap. And only 42 seconds to fall all the way down. Savitch made broadcast history by becoming the first female news anchor in a major market and the first woman to anchor the weekend newscast for NBC News. In 1979, she was dubbed America's "Golden Girl" by Newsweek. By the age of 33, she was earning $500,000 a year from NBC—a modern $1.8 million. But in 1983, Savitch met her tragic end, drowning after she c