All of a sudden, death seems to be so close to us all and that calls for concern.

Longtime NBA executive Todd Harris, who was a fixture in the league office and with its broadcast partners, died Tuesday at age 47.

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The Long Island native had a career with the NBA that spanned 22 years. Harris’ wife, Jackie, told Newsday that her husband “was family first.”

Jackie Harris first posted the news on her husband’s Facebook account: “It is with great sadness to inform you that Todd, an amazing husband and father to Mason and Logan, passed away suddenly yesterday.” Cause of death was not specified.

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“He was family first,” Jackie Harris said when contacted by Newsday. “He was always [there for his] children. And always his job. He felt that the NBA was his family just as much as we were. He was a family guy, and he was lucky enough to have two families.”

In his role with the NBA, Harris was responsible for creating schedules for the NBA, WNBA and NBA Developmental League. He developed the WNBA’s broadcasting unit and managed relations between the league and its broadcast partners.