Channel Ten’s ‘unimaginable’ insult after the death of legendary TV star

Channel Ten suffered an ‘unimaginable’ blunder as they paid tribute to one of their legendary Australian TV channels after his death.

George Negus sadly passed away at the age of 82 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, his family confirmed on Tuesday.

Tributes poured in for the 60 Minutes host, with all major news networks airing heartfelt segments in memory of the television icon.

However, some Channel Ten fans were left unimpressed when they noticed a tribute had been shared online that misspelled the veteran presenter’s name.

His last name was misspelled as “Nebus” instead of “Negus” by 10 News First, with an eagle-eyed viewer sharing the mistake on social media.

Although the gaffe has since been corrected, it still showed up as “Nebus” in the Google search of the YouTube tribute video late Tuesday night.

One disgruntled fan described the mistake on X/Twitter as an ‘insult’ to the star, who appeared on The Project and presented 6.30 with George Negus on Ten.

‘What an insult to one of their own. Unbelievable,” they wrote.

Negus also famously presented Nine’s 60 Minutes when the show launched in Australia in 1979, remaining in his role until 1986.

He was diagnosed with dementia about five years ago and had been living in an aged care facility in Sydney’s north since late 2021.

In a statement shared on Tuesday, Negus’ family said he “passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones” in Sydney.

“Despite the challenges that diseases like Alzheimer’s bring to families, we have still shared good times, laughter and happiness together in recent times,” they said.

“While we know he will be celebrated for his unique contribution to journalism, football and the environment, he would also like to be remembered for the incredible family man he was.”

Meanwhile, 60 Minutes added in a statement: “An icon of journalism. A legendary broadcaster. A friend to many.

60 Minutes star Negus (pictured in 1980) sadly passed away at the age of 82 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, his family confirmed on Tuesday

As tributes poured in, Ten News First fans were left unimpressed to notice a tribute had been shared online with the veteran presenter’s name spelled ‘Nebus’ instead of ‘Negus’.

’60 Minutes founder reporter George Negus has sadly passed away at the age of 82 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. We will always cherish the stories and memories he gave us all.”

Tributes have poured in for the veteran current affairs journalist in the hours since news of his death broke.

Negus’ former Today Show co-host Liz Hayes paid tribute to broadcaster 60 Minutes in a sweet message.

Appearing on A Current Affair on Tuesday, Liz said the Nine star was ‘truly unique’ as she shared some heartfelt words.

‘George was a powerful person and, in my life, someone I will never forget. He left his mark no matter who he was or where he was,” she said.

Liz, 68, who co-hosted the Today Show with George from 1987 to 1990, added that her former co-star would be remembered for his “insatiable curiosity”.

“He was really unique – there was one George and only one George and that’s why he stood out in many ways,” she said.

‘He was just a good guy. Incredibly curious, always had questions he wanted answered. He brought a huge personality to television [and] an insatiable hunger to know more.’

George (pictured in 2012) presented 60 Minutes when the show launched in Australia in 1979, through 1986

Liz was joined by George’s former 60 Minutes colleague Ian Leslie, who said George was the “spark” that made the current affairs show work.

“We needed a standout, we needed a spark to get the crowd on side,” he said.

‘We needed a Negus, we needed one of those city cowboys. That piercing voice to get the message across. George was the spark who took sixty minutes to reach the heights.’

Leslie added that it was “cruel” to see his former colleague affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

‘For a man who loved words, who loved to speak, who loved to tell a story, and his voice was his lifeblood, [for] that it is incredibly cruel and very, very sad to be taken from him,” he said.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Leslie added that although Negus’ battle with dementia was well known, his death came as a ‘bloody shock’.

“It’s a very sad, sad moment. Lots of memories,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“We immediately came together as a brotherhood because we felt that this was a great time in the history of broadcasting, and we felt this deep privilege, you know, that we shared with each other.

“So it was like suddenly having a pair of brothers.”

Negus’ former Today Show co-host Liz Hayes paid tribute to the veteran broadcaster on A Current Affair on Tuesday

Liz said the 9News star was “truly unique” as she shared some heartfelt words. She is pictured with George Negus (bottom left), Lisa Wilkinson (top left) and Karl Stefanovic (top right)

60 Minutes Australia journalist Charles Wooley, who joined the program in 1993, also said Negus “introduced the Australian accent to current affairs on Australian television.”

“Before that we spoke like the BBC or Bob Menzies,” Wooley told Daily Mail Australia.

‘George first raised eyebrows at the ABC with his unashamedly broad Australian accent. But when he went to 60 Minutes, that idiomatic style quickly became the house look.

‘It worked and now we don’t have to ‘put the dog on’ for the camera anymore.’

Just months before his death, Negus’ son Ned posted a touching Father’s Day tribute on social media to the man he called “Negsy” after a family trip to the beach.

“I was hesitant to post this on LinkedIn because it’s quite personal,” Ned wrote.

“But then I realized that you are all human and there is always a place where you can share human reality with your professional network.”

Ned, who is Chief Commercial Officer for the A-League football competitions, then referred to his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“He’s mostly non-verbal now (baffling to me, but also to anyone who knows him),” he added.

‘Today is Father’s Day in Australia and we took a walk on the beach together.

‘He was clearly unsure why this particular walk was symbolic and at times unsure of who he was walking with.

Negus was diagnosed with dementia about five years ago and has been living in a retirement home in Sydney since late 2021. He is pictured with 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes

‘At one point we stopped, he smiled broadly and then hugged me for a long time.

“It was sad, but it was uplifting to know that even if you can no longer say what you feel, you can still DO what you feel. I love you, Negsy.”

Negus made his last notable public appearance at television pioneer Gerald Stone’s memorial service in November 2020, after the inaugural executive producer of 60 Minutes died at the age of 87.

Brisbane-born Negus was a high school teacher until his late 20s, when he began writing for newspapers such as The Australian, followed by a stint at ABC’s groundbreaking This Day Tonight.

Negus was press secretary to Attorney General Lionel Murphy during Gough Whitlam’s short-lived Labor government and was handpicked by Stone to help found 60 Minutes.

Stone had selected Negus, Leslie and Ray Martin to run the news program in 1979, when Kerry Packer imported the format from the United States to be broadcast on his Nine Network.

He worked on the program until 1986, sharing reporting duties with Leslie, Martin, Jana Wendt and, toward the end of his tenure, Jeff McMullen.

At its peak in the 1980s, 60 Minutes was a ratings bomb, with a third or more of the national television audience tuning in on Sundays at 7:30 p.m.

Negus’ wife Kirsty Cockburn (left Negus in 2009) moved to a unit near the Northern Beaches aged care facility where he lived, and visited him every day

Negus was the first presenter of ABC’s international current affairs program Foreign Correspondent and ran the program from 1992 to 1999.

From 2002 to 2004 he hosted George Negus Tonight, formerly known as New Dimensions, on the national broadcaster.

The following year he began hosting Dateline on SBS before becoming a regular panellist on Ten’s The Project, followed by a 6.30 presentation with George Negus on the same network.

Negus was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 ‘for significant services to the media as a journalist and television presenter, and to conservation and the environment’.