Australian TV legend George Negus has died aged 82 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Negus, one of the original 60 Minutes reporters when the show launched in Australia, was diagnosed with dementia about five years ago and has been living in an aged care facility in Sydney since late 2021.
His family confirmed his death on Tuesday afternoon.
“Despite the challenges that diseases like Alzheimer’s bring to families, we have continued to share good times, laughter and happiness together in recent times,” his family said in a statement.
‘We also learned a lot.’
Last month, his son Ned Negus said his father was nonverbal.
“For those of you who don’t know, about five years ago my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“He’s mostly non-verbal now (baffling to me, but also to anyone who knows him).”
Legendary television journalist George Negus has died
Negus made his last notable public appearance at the November 2020 memorial service for television pioneer Gerald Stone after the inaugural executive producer of 60 Minutes died at the age of 87.
Stone had selected Negus, Ray Martin and Ian Leslie to run the news program in 1979 when Kerry Packer imported the format from the United States to be broadcast on his Nine Network.
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 Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m.
Negus became a household name as he traveled the world, often reporting from war zones, with his thick mustache and open-neck shirts contributing to a sweeping image.
Before Negus’ health deteriorated to the point where he required full-time care, he had lived with his wife Kirsty Cockburn on the north coast of New South Wales since the late 1980s.
‘[Mum] is by his side most days to help him through it, helping him remember (even the smallest thing) and feel,” Ned wrote. ‘A huge shout out for her too.’
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.
He worked on the program until 1986, sharing reporting duties with Leslie, Martin, Wendt and, toward the end of his tenure, Jeff McMullen.
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’.