Longtime 60 Minutes
commentator Andy Rooney died Nov. 4 at a hospital in New York City due to
complications from minor surgery. He was 92.
For 33 years Rooney delivered the last word on the CBS
newsmagazine where he became known to TV audiences for his humorous and
contentious television essays, a genre he is credited with inventing. His
inquisitive essays asking why products didn't work or exploring curious human
behavior earned him the curmudgeon status he became known for.
Rooney had announced on Oct. 2 that he would no longerappear regularly on the broadcast. 60 Minutes will end its Nov. 6 broadcast with a tribute segment to Rooney led by Morley Safer.
"It's a sad day at 60
Minutes and for everybody here at CBS News," said Jeff Fager, chairman of
CBS News and the executive producer of 60
Minutes. "It's hard to imagine not having Andy around. He loved
his life and he lived it on his own terms. We will miss him very much."
Rooney spent nearly 60 years at CBS, first hired in 1949 as
a writer for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. He delivered his first 60 Minutes essay in 1978, before taking
over the final minutes of the broadcast in the 1979-80 season.
In addition to his 60
Minutes role, he had a national newspaper column and is the author of 16
books.
He is survived by his four children Ellen, Brian, Emily and
Martha Fishel; five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
