Andy Rooney to End Regular Role On '60 Minutes'

92-year-old has been featured on program since 1978

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/27/2011 5:10:58 PM

Andy Rooney, who has been featured on 60 Minutes since 1978, will step down from his role on the CBS Sunday night program, the network said Tuesday. Rooney's last regular appearance on the broadcast will be Sunday.

The 92-year-old Rooney will make the announcement in his regular essay, his 1,097^th for 60 Minutes, on Sunday, after a segment looking back at his career in an interview with Morley Safer.

"There's nobody like Andy and there never will be. He'll hate hearing this, but he's an American original," said Jeff Fager, chairman CBS News and the executive producer of 60 Minutes. "His contributions to 60 Minutes are immeasurable; he's also a great friend. It's harder for him to do it every week, but he will always have the ability to speak his mind on 60 Minutes when the urge hits him."

Rooney had been a contributor to 60 Minutes since the program's beginning in 1968 before taking over solo control of the program's ending segment in 1979. He first joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.