Ted Brown, 36, was in good health and had travelled in Australia as a producer for ESPN.

He was married and leaves behind his wife Erinn and young son Henry.

ESPN anchor Chris Fowler took to the air ahead of their coverage to announce the passing of his colleague, who worked in the graphics department.

"We are grieving today," Fowler said during his broadcast.

"We are sad and in shock, a member of our crew, of our tennis family, passed away last night in a hotel here in Melbourne.

"Ted Brown suffered a heart attack and could not be revived."

Fowler said viewers would have seen and appreciated Brown's work, even if they did not know it.

"From all of us who worked with him and admired him, who shared a deep affection for Ted, our deepest sympathies to Erinn, who is half a world away back in Connecticut, and their son Henry."

Brown's ESPN colleagues remembered him as a beloved friend who would be missed.

Former professional soccer player Taylor Twellman, who now works at ESPN, was among those who used social media to mention Brown's death.