CBS News legend Mike Wallace, the "60 Minutes"
pit-bull reporter whose probing, brazen style made his name synonymous with the
tough interview - a style he practically invented for television more than half
a century ago - died Saturday night. He was 93 and passed peacefully surrounded
by family members at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Conn., where he spent
the past few years. He also had a home in Manhattan.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing
of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is
immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout
its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS," said Leslie
Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation.
"All of us at CBS News and particularly at '60 Minutes'
owe so much to Mike. Without him and his iconic style, there probably wouldn't
be a '60 Minutes.' There simply hasn't been another broadcast journalist with
that much talent. It almost didn't matter what stories he was covering, you
just wanted to hear what he would ask next. Around CBS he was the same
infectious, funny and ferocious person as he was on TV. We loved him and we
will miss him very much," said Jeff Fager, chairman CBS News and executive
producer of "60 Minutes."
The day after Mike Wallace died
at age 93, CBS News shows paid tribute to the legendary “60 Minutes”
broadcaster.
“For more than six decades — four
of them on this broadcast — he was a kind of one-man truth squad, a man with a
remarkable gift for getting to the very core of a story,” veteran CBS News
correspondent Morley Safer said at the top of “60 Minutes” on Sunday night.
“Face the Nation” also aired a
memorial segment Sunday morning. On Monday, “CBS This Morning” co-hosts Charlie
Rose and Gayle King, joined by Steve Kroft and Safer, discussed the news of
Wallace’s death.
Soon after, CBS sent out an
announcement saying that a special broadcast dedicated to Wallace will
air on “60 Minutes” next Sunday.
