George Negus, a prominent Australian journalist and the host of the Foreign Correspondent program on ABC, died at the age of 82.
He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for the last five years. His family said he passed away peacefully at his Sydney home.
In a statement, his family said that despite the challenges that Alzheimer’s disease had brought, they still managed to share beautiful times together.
They also thanked him for his contributions to journalism and the environment.
Negus was regarded as a fearless journalist who had an approachable style.
Throughout his career, Negus has covered various political and social events. In 2022, he reflected on his time in journalism in an interview with 60 Minutes. He said that his honesty had won him millions of viewers.
In his interview with 60 Minutes, he said that people often ask him if he is on television, and he would often respond by saying that he is just like everyone else.
He added that sometimes, people would tell him how wonderful he was, and other times, they would just chuck rocks at him. Five years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he started to become non-verbal.
He had been residing in an aged care facility in Sydney since 2021. His son, Ned, shared a LinkedIn update about his father on September 1.