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CBS News Great Morley Safer Dies at 84

CNN reports that 60 Minutes correspondent of 46 years Morley Safer died Thursday, he was 84 years old.

Safer was the longest ever serving correspondent on 60 Minutes and many thought of him when they thought of the series. He joined in 1970, 2 years after it launched.

CBS announced Safer’s retirement last week partly due to his declining health and televised an hour-long special highlighting his career this past Sunday.

Safer’s achievements were unprecedented, including a relocation to Saigon to cover the Vietnam war. According to the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Jeff Fager, who visited Safer after the retirement announcement called Safer a “humble man who never expects attention,” and raved about his reports. “They were works of art almost, what makes a story a Morley story is his original voice. And by that I mean not just the timbre, but [also] the quality of the storytelling, his writing.”

CNN anchor and “60 Minutes” contributor Anderson Cooper said, “He was an extraordinary writer and reporter, and a true gentleman,” “From his work during the War in Vietnam to his completely unique and evocative pieces for 60 Minutes, he set the standard for what we all want to be as journalists. His kind shall not pass this way again.”

In a statement last week, when his retirement was announced, Safer said, “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.”

He filed 919 reports for 60 Minutes and did his last report in March.

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