Veteran journalist and broadcaster George Negus has died at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, his family said in a statement.
The statement said Negus “passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones” and thanked Australian healthcare workers for supporting him “in the best possible way” during his final moments.
“Despite the challenges diseases like Alzheimer’s inflict on families, we still shared beautiful times, laughter and happiness together in recent times.
“We also learnt a lot.”
Negus began his journalistic career writing for The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.
He first gained notoriety while working as attorney-general Lionel Murphy’s press secretary during the Whitlam government-era, when he leaked an imminent investigation into ASIO headquarters. The event was dubbed the 1973 Murphy raids.
Negus rose to prominence as a reporter for ABC’s This Day Tonight, later serving as a founding correspondent for 60 Minutes and co-host for Today Australia.
In 1992, Negus presented the first episode of ABC’s Foreign Correspondent. He would continue with the program until 1999.
Loading
