THE conservative US writer and commentator Bre Payton has died of swine flu and meningitis after being found unconscious by a friend.

The 26-year-old political writer passed away suddenly on Friday a day after being hospitalised with swine flu, her friends and bosses said.

The staff writer at conservative news and opinion website The Federalist, was found “unresponsive and barely breathing” and was rushed to a San Diego hospital.

Doctors carried out a CT scan and found that she had the H1N1 virus, commonly called the swine flu, and possibly meningitis, it's been reported.

“Thank you everyone for your prayers… Unfortunately Bre has passed. Please send prayers to her family. Rest in paradise you beautiful soul,” tweeted San Diego-area politician Morgan Murtaugh, who said she found Payton unconscious.

Others who worked with or knew Payton have also expressed their shock at her sudden death.

“Bre has passed,” The Federalist’s publisher Ben Domenech tweeted. “We are devastated. Last we saw her, she was her funny, smart, vivacious self. Now lost to us so suddenly.”

The Washington-based writer was in California this week guest hosting a show on the One America News Network, according to Fox News.

On Wednesday she’d asked her followers to tune in to see her on TV.

The California native graduated from Patrick Henry College with a degree in political journalism and is survived by her parents and four siblings.

An obituary on The Federalist called Payton “joyful, hard-working and compassionate” and said she had a deep Christian faith.

She was a frequent guest on Fox News and also appeared on MSNBC, CNN, NPR and BBC World News.

In a recent appearance on Fox, Payton had condemned what she called “fake, fake, fake news” coverage of President Trump and criticised reporting about first lady Melania Trump as “sexist.”

Payton was survived by her parents, George and Cindy; siblings James, Jack, Christina and Cheekie; and boyfriend Ryan Colby, according to The Federalist.