Man is killed in home of TV host

Los Angeles police have identified a man found dead early Friday inside a Hollywood Hills home as Richard Hong.

Hong, 41, was apparently staying in the residence, which was rented to Canadian TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos.

The coroner’s office described the cause of death as head trauma.

Police had received a call about 2:15 a.m. about a burglary in progress in the 6700 block of Milner Road, said Officer Jenny Houser, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

When officers arrived, they found a man dead at the scene, she said.

Witnesses told detectives that the assailant, who was described as a man wearing a black jacket, ran west on Milner, then south on Las Palmas Avenue.

The attacker remains at large, police said.

On Friday afternoon, Stroumboulopoulos said he had been in New York when the deadly break-in occurred. He was returning Friday to L.A. to be with friends, who he said were devastated.

“The victim is a dear friend of mine, who was staying at my place while I was away,” he said in a statement. “I am heartbroken.”

His celebrity talk show, “George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight,” aired on the Canadian network CBC for 10 seasons. Stroumboulopoulos interviewed Tom Cruise, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and others.

“There’s so much to say, but I’m at a loss for words, so just love your people and I will have more to say when we know more about what happened,” Stroumboulopoulos said.

In the last year, one other homicide has occurred in the Hollywood Hills, according to The Times’ Homicide Report.