Doug Woo, a former Advertiser and KGMB-TV reporter who later served as spokesman for Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, died Monday night. He was 57.

Woo became ill suddenly about 8 p.m. Monday and was rushed to the Kuakini Medical Center, where he died, said his brother, Art Woo. Doctors suspect it may have been a heart attack, Art Woo said. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

"It was a total surprise," Art Woo said. "He was in very good shape. What makes it such a surprise, there weren't any warning symptoms. He had a doctor's checkup a month or so back, and I think he even had an EKG. And it was normal."

Woo was born Nov. 20, 1949. He was an Advertiser reporter from 1970 to 1980, then spent eight years as a reporter at Channel 9. He was spokesman during Kaneshiro's two terms in office, from 1988 to 1996. Later he worked for the city Department of Customer Services.

"Our city 'ohana is saddened by the sudden passing of Doug Woo," said Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Kaneshiro described Woo as a man of principle who never shied away from asking the difficult, probing question.

"He was from that generation of reporters from the Advertiser and TV stations who would ask the tough questions," Kaneshiro said.

Nor was he afraid to disagree with his boss, Kaneshiro said. Woo could be impulsive and even headstrong at times, but he was invaluable as a political adviser, Kaneshiro said.

"He told me, never say 'no comment' (to a reporter) — always have a comment. If you can't talk about the story, then tell them why you can't talk about the story."

"He was fair and honest, and he told it like it was," Art Woo said. "You knew where you stood with him."

"Doug was a very talented, professional reporter who had a good rapport with sources," said former Advertiser Editor Gerry Keir, who recalled working with Woo back when both were government writers for the paper in the early 1970s.

"He was a solid journalist who had a great quixotic sense of humor," said Keir.

Keir said those attributes served him well after Woo left newspaper and broadcast journalism to become a spokesman for Kaneshiro.

Kaneshiro, among others, spoke of Woo's wit. He was fond of sketching cartoon characters and creating his own clever greeting cards, he said.

"During tough times he had this great sense of humor," Kaneshiro said.

Woo is survived by his mother, Soo Kyung Woo; wife, Pat; and children, Melissa, 31, Jessica, 26, and Jonathan, 14.

Services will be announced later, his family said.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.