Mike Wallace Dies: '60 Minutes' Correspondent Was 93

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/gty_mike_wallace_jt_120408_wg.jpg
News anchor Mike Wallace attends The 2007 National Board of Review Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd street January 15, 2008. Images (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)


By LEEZEL TANGLAO (@leezeltanglao)

April 8, 2012

Veteran broadcast journalist Mike Wallace has died, according to CBS News.

He was 93 years old and and had been in declining health in recent years.

Wallace was a correspondent on the CBS News program "60 Minutes," since its premiere in 1968 where he earned a reputation as one of the toughest interviewers in the business.

He spent 38 seasons with the program before announcing his retirement in 2006.

But Wallace remained as correspondent emeritus with the program and still occasionally contributed to the news magazine and CBS News platforms after the 2005-06 season, according to his official CBS News biography.

When he announced his retirement, Wallace told CBS News' Bob Schieffer that the job has been a quite a journey.

"To go around the world, to talk to almost anybody you want to talk to, to have enough time on the air, so that you could really tell a full story," Wallace said. "What a voyage of discovery it was."

Over the years, Wallace sat down with seven U.S. Presidents as well as other world leaders, celebrities, sports stars, and controversial figures like Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Jose Canseco, Yasir Arafat and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His investigative reporting in the 1990's revealed the secrets of the tobacco industry and inspired the Hollywood movie, "The Insider."

Wallace also made his name as a war correspondent in the 1960's, covering Vietnam.

He started his journalism career in the 1940s as a radio news writer and broadcaster for Chicago Sun.

He joined CBS News in 1951 and later returned to the network in 1963 after leaving in 1955.

During his remarkable career, he won more than 20 Emmy Awards and several other honors.

He also wrote several books including "Between You and Me," with Gary Paul Gates and "Heat and Light: Advice for the Next Generation of Journalists" in collaboration with Fordham University journalism professor Beth Knobel.

It's another big loss for the CBS News family after the death of Andy Rooney who died at the age of 92 on Nov. 5, 2011.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/mike-wallace-dies-60-minutes-correspondent-93/story?id=16096195



Dan

Wow, with the loss of Mike Wallace, along with Harry Reasoner, Don Hewitt, Bob Kilpatrick, Shana Alexander, Art Rooney, and Ed Bradley, there are hardly any of the original 60 Minutes crew left.  :-\\

Wow, with the loss of Mike Wallace, along with Harry Reasoner, Don Hewitt, Bob Kilpatrick, Shana Alexander, Art Rooney, and Ed Bradley, there are hardly any of the original 60 Minutes crew left.  :-\\


At least they had their 60 Minutes of fame.



Dan

At least they had their 60 Minutes of fame.

Well said, Dan. And LB? Don't forget about Walter Cronkite!

This may be sad, but having lived to 93, I must say WAY TO GO, MIKE! Even in this day and age, that's an impressive lifespan, especially considering some of the places you had to travel and some unsavory characters you interviewed. I'm also glad that you did not become a bitter old man like Andy Rooney(I heard him speak nicely but once as he eulogized the gone-too-soon Ed Bradley), you deserved to outlive him, even if by just a year.

Mike Wallace will be remembered as one of the last benchmarks of unsensationalized, old-school broadcast journalism. I was not a 60 Minutes fan per se, but I do occasionally tune in and appreciate their hard-hitting but credible investigative style. And I never see them stoop to reporting on rumors or gossip the papparazzi spreads around celebrities or public officials. Well done, Mike. Rest In Peace, and say hi to Ed for us!

Your Pal,
Doc
:(

He was 93?  He did not look it at all.

Rest in peace, Mr. Wallace.

Wow, with the loss of Mike Wallace, along with Harry Reasoner, Don Hewitt, Bob Kilpatrick, Shana Alexander, Art Rooney, and Ed Bradley, there are hardly any of the original 60 Minutes crew left.  :-\\


I know I guess it's time to create new news journalists.  :(

He certainly lived a good long life and will always be remembered by many. R.I.P. Mike.

Have they released the cause of death yet? ???

Have they released the cause of death yet? ???


"Wallace finally retired in 2006, saying:

I’ve often replied, when asked, “I’ll retire when my toes turn up.” Well, they’re just beginning to curl a trifle, which means that, as I approach my 88th birthday, it’s become apparent to me that my eyes and ears, among other appurtenances, aren’t quite what they used to be. And the prospect of long flights to wherever in search of whatever are not quite as appealing.

Since then, his health had declined further. While the cause of death has not been publicly announced, Wallace’s son, “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, said his father suffered from dementia in a recent interview with The New York Times. “Physically, he’s okay. Mentally, he’s not,” Wallace said. “He still recognizes me and knows who I am, but he’s uneven.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2012/04/08/60-minutes-legend-mike-wallace-dead-at-93/



Dan

That sux.  Although I had a buddy who died from dementia at the age of 64...  :-\\

Sad!  He was among the pioneers of modern news journalism  :\'(  :\'(  :\'(

R.I.P. Mike Wallace - you will be missed

If I know how comedy works, tomorrow night Jay Leno will show the 60 Minutes opening with a skeleton saying "I'm Mike Wallace.", but no mention of him was made on tonight's broadcast. I'm afraid it happened too quickly for CBS to prepare anything like they did for Ed and Andy.

Your Pal,
Doc
:(

He was 93?  He did not look it at all.


http://www.oocities.org/familyguymoments/206/206_1.jpg

This.  May we all look this good at 93.

If I know how comedy works, tomorrow night Jay Leno will show the 60 Minutes opening with a skeleton saying "I'm Mike Wallace.", but no mention of him was made on tonight's broadcast. I'm afraid it happened too quickly for CBS to prepare anything like they did for Ed and Andy.

Your Pal,
Doc
:(


I don't think they'll go that far.

I don't think they'll go that far.
Eh, good point. I guess I always got a good laugh from a 2000 bit when they had the characters from Disney's Dinosaur movie saying,

"I'm Mike Wallace, I'm Steve Kroft, I'm Ed Bradley, I'm Morley Safer, I'm Leslie Stahl. Those stories,(cut to a primate monkey) plus Andy Rooney, tonight on
60 Minutes." :D

OK, if not a skeleton, how about they show him in a white robe and halo?

Your Pal,
Doc
:-[

So who's left from 60 Minutes? ???

So who's left from 60 Minutes? ???


Morley Safer.  And if I were him, I'd be looking over my shoulder for a guy wearing a black hoodie and carrying a scythe.

http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Katie+Couric+Hosts+18th+Annual+Broadcasting+2FH7g74RI4ol.jpg

I wrote my panegyrics to Mike Wallace in J school.  I've been Wallaced out ever since.

OK, the great Mike Wallace died...but he was old and he would have died anyway!
::)

Maybe he's really just doing an investigative piece on the funeral industry.  At any time during the ceremony he could pop out of that coffin with a microphone in his hand and say "Come ON"...  ;D

Maybe he's really just doing an investigative piece on the funeral industry.  At any time during the ceremony he could pop out of that coffin with a microphone in his hand and say "Come ON"...  ;D


we can dream...  ::)