Veteran programming executive and former History Channel president Jana Bennett died Thursday at 66.

Bennett, in a 2019 interview with The Evening Standard, revealed that she was suffering from a brain tumor and was supporting research focusing on the disease.  

Bennett served as History Channel’s president and general manager from 2015 to 2017, overseeing the production of such hit series as Roots and Vikings. Named as a Multichannel News Wonder Woman in 2017, Bennett originally joined A+E Networks in 2013 to oversee the rebrand of BIO into FYI. Bennett also oversaw operations for TLC in the late 1990s.

Prior to A+E, Bennett ran British-based BBC Worldwide from 2010 to 2012, part of a multi-decade stint at the BBC. 

“All of us at A+E Networks deeply mourn the loss of our friend and colleague Jana Bennett,” Paul Buccieri, president & chairman, A+E Networks said in a statement. “Jana had an extraordinary career in media and her contributions to the A+E Networks family are too enormous to count. She was a groundbreaking, game-changing, generous and beautiful person. She will be terribly missed by all of us, and especially by me. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.” ■ 

Longtime A+E Networks executive Jana Bennett will leave her post as head of History, the company confirmed Friday.

Bennett, who was named History president and general manager in 2015, will leave to focus on a new entrepreneurial venture that will split her time between New York and London, according to A+E CEO Nancy Dubuc, who added the Bennett approached her this past spring about leaving the company.

Bennett, who was named a Multichannel News 2017 Wonder Women, joined A+E Networks in 2013 to help rebrand BIO into FYI before moving into the History position. 

“I am enormously grateful for the leadership, passion and commitment she has brought to A+E Networks," said Dubuc in a statement. "Please join me in wishing Jana all the best in her new endeavor." 

In a statement, Bennett said that while the decision to leave was “difficult,” she said it was time to start the next chapter in her life. “I am confident that History will go from strength to strength and will continue to tell stories that America and the rest of the world loves.”

 Below is Dubuc’s memo regarding Bennett’s departure:

Nearly four years ago, Jana Bennett moved from London and joined A+E Networks to launch FYI. This spring, Jana came to me and told me that she wanted to split her time between London and NY and start a new entrepreneurial venture aimed at creating the best of British and American content for both markets.

I’m immensely grateful for the amazing job she has done here at A+E Networks. From launching FYI to wide acclaim, to growing LMN, to leading HISTORY back into growth and securing its position as a premium brand, Jana has been a valued member of the Management Team.

Over the last two years at HISTORY, Jana has built a strong lineup of historical documentary series and boosted its scripted slate, successfully launching ROOTS and SIX. She has helped build a powerful pipeline of other new series, and with the very promising Knightfall coming later this year, is making HISTORY the destination for historically based drama.

Our company has benefited from the many formats and series developed under her watch includingMarried at First Sight, Seven Year Switch, the Tiny House franchise and Escaping Polygamy.

 I am enormously grateful for the leadership, passion and commitment she has brought to A+E Networks. Please join me in wishing Jana all the best in her new endeavor.

A+E Networks is converting the BIO channel over to lifestyle-based FYI tonight at 10 p.m. ET with a sneak-peek special with clips from nine of the network's planned new series.

One of the previously-announced new primetime series on the 65-million-subscriber network, The Feed, a food-centric talk show featuring celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, culinary expert Gail Simmons and comedian Max Silvestri, has been pushed back to later this summer, the network said. It had been slated to launch on Saturday, July 12. Heather DiRubba, senior director of publicity for FYI and LMN, said FYI would provide updates on The Feed soon.

The first new original series for FYI will be Married at First Sight, a format adapted from a Danish program of the same name, in which three couples agree to get legally married the moment they first meet, having been paired up by four experts (pictured, left to right: Pepper Schwartz, Greg Epstein, Dr. Logan Levkoff and Dr. Joseph Cilona) based on scientific matchmaking. It debuts Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET and is scheduled to have 10 one-hour episodes and a one-hour casting special.

In all, six new primetime series are scheduled to debut on the network in July. 

Tonight's special, FYI: A First Look, will feature clips from The Feed, Epic Meal Empire, World Food Championships, B.O.R.N to Style, Tiny House Nation, Rowhouse Showdown, Lost in Love, Best in Bridal and Married at First Sight. The Feed's Max Silvestri hosts the special, which also will include Gail Simmons and Marcus Samuelsson; Cherry Healey (Lost in Love); Harley Morenstein (Epic Meal Empire); Jonathan Bodrick, Brandon Hood and JJ  Langan (B.O.R.N. to Style); John Wiesbarth (Tiny House Nation); Carter Oosterhouse and Kathy Kuo (Rowhouse Showdown) and Dr. Logan Levkoff (Married at First Sight).