Morley Safer, a longtime reporter for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” has died, the network confirmed Thursday.
Safer, 84, died at his home in Manhattan. He was the longest-serving correspondent at CBS News. Funeral arrangements are private, CBS said, adding that a memorial service will be announced at a later date. Due to declining health, he announced his retirement last week.
“It’s been a wonderful run, but the time has come to say goodbye to all of my friends at CBS and the dozens of people who kept me on the air,” Safer said in his retirement statement last Wednesday. “But most of all, I thank the millions of people who have been loyal to our broadcast.”
A Toronto native, Safer first joined CBS News as a London-based correspondent in 1964 and a year later became the network’s first Saigon bureau chief. He quickly distinguished himself with his coverage of the Vietnam War.
He had been a regular on “60 Minutes” since 1970. The newsmagazine is in its 48th season.
“Morley was one of the most important journalists in any medium, ever,” said CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves. “He broke ground in war reporting and made a name that will forever be synonymous with ‘60 Minutes.’”
Moonves described Safer as “a gentleman, a scholar, a great raconteur — all of those things and much more to generations of colleagues, his legion of friends, and his family, to whom all of us at CBS offer our sincerest condolences over the loss of one of CBS’ and journalism’s greatest treasures.”
“60 Minutes” Executive Producer and close friend Jeff Fager paid tribute to Safer on Twitter. “A masterful storyteller, inspiration to many of us and a wonderful friend,” Fager said. In a statement, Fager added: “This is a very sad day for all of us at 60 Minutes and CBS News. Morley was a fixture, one of our pillars, and an inspiration in many ways.”