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Conservative writer Bre Payton reportedly died of the swine flu. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Bre Payton, a staff writer for the conservative online magazine The Federalist and a frequent guest on Fox News outlets, died Friday of a sudden illness at the age of 26.

The news of Payton's illness was first reported in a Twitter post by her close friend Morgan Murtaugh, who wrote that she had called 9-1-1 after finding Payton unconscious Thursday morning at that Payton was in a coma at a San Diego hospital.

According to reports, Payton had H1N1 flu — also known as swine flu — and possibly meningitis.

Payton was in California after guest-hosting Wednesday on the program "Tipping Point," which airs on conservative news channel One America News Network.

According to The Federalist and Payton's LinkedIn page, Payton graduated in 2010 from Southern California-based Western Christian High School Private Satellite Program and in 2015 earned a journalism degree from Patrick Henry College, a small Christian college in Purcellville, Virginia.

She joined The Federalist in April 2015 after spending over two years with Watchdog.org, a conservative website. She previously spent four months interning at National Journalism Center, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative journalism training ground whose alumni has included Ann Coulter and Fox News anchor Greg Gutfield.

The Federalist's tribute to Payton said she "brightened the lives of everyone around her. She was joyful, hard-working, and compassionate, and she leaves behind friends and colleagues for whom she brought nothing but sweetness and light."

In her Twitter profile, Payton described herself as an "insomniac" and a "messy eater."

The Federalist noted that Payton "is survived by her parents, George and Cindy; siblings James, Jack, Christina, and Cheekie; and boyfriend Ryan Colby."

An outpouring of condolences poured in from media colleagues and other notable figures.

An International Business Times staff reporter contributed to this report.