TV News: Legendary Reporter Mike Wallace of ‘60 Minutes’ Passes Away at 93

CHICAGO – TV news icons don’t come much bigger than Mike Wallace, the legendary CBS News reporter and fixture for decades on the network’s hit “60 Minutes.” CBS just reported on their morning news program on April 8, 2012 that he has passed away at the age of 93. Details on his death are minimal at this point but his influence will be felt for many years to come.

Mike Wallace was a reporter on the original cast of “60 Minutes” when it debuted in 1968 and appeared on the program for nearly 40 years. After serving in World War II, he worked in radio in the ’40s and ’50s before hosting a number of game shows. He transitioned to news with interview programs in New York in the ’50s and starred on “The Mike Wallace Interview” on ABC in 1957. He even hosted the CBS Morning News in the mid-’60s before joining the program that would redefine TV news — “60 Minutes.”

Over his time on “60 Minutes,” Mike Wallace won 20 Emmys. His brand of investigative journalism and his skill as an interviewer would influence countless journalists who followed in his footsteps. He will be dearly missed.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com