Pioneering Australian journalist George Negus dies aged 82

• Veteran journalist and broadcaster George Negus has died at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family said in a statement
• Negus will be remembered as the founding host of Foreign Correspondent and a mainstay on 60 Minutes, Dateline and other watershed Australian news programmes
• He is survived by his wife Kirsty Cockburn, their sons Ned and Serge and grandchildren

Veteran journalist and broadcaster George Negus has died at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family said in a statement.

The statement said Negus "passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones" and thanked Australian healthcare workers for supporting him "in the best possible way" during his final moments.

"Despite the challenges diseases like Alzheimer's inflict on families, we still shared beautiful times, laughter and happiness together in recent times.

"We also learnt a lot."

Heather Ewart, Back Roads presenter whose "paths have crossed many times over the years" with Negus, told Statewide Drive Victoria he had been "battling dementia for quite a while" but it was still "hard to wrap your head around" his passing.

Last month, Negus's son Ned posted on LinkedIn that the broadcaster had been diagnosed five years previously and was now nonverbal.

"Today is Father's Day in Australia and we had a walk on the beach together … He was clearly not sure why this particular walk was symbolic and sometimes not sure with whom he was walking," the post read.

Dementia Australia released a statement that Negus had "generously contributed to raising awareness about dementia" before his death.

The organisation's chief executive, Professor Tanya Buchanan, said Negus and his family ensured "all Australians impacted by dementia know they are not alone".

Ambassador Hamish Macdonald said he was "immensely lucky" to call Negus a mentor and thanked the family for the "difference they have made to the lives of people living with dementia, their families and carers".

'A whole new era for Australian journalism'

Negus began his journalistic career writing for The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.

He first gained notoriety while working as attorney-general Lionel Murphy's press secretary during the Whitlam government era, when he leaked an imminent investigation into ASIO headquarters. The event was dubbed the 1973 Murphy raids.

Negus rose to prominence as a reporter for ABC's This Day Tonight, later serving as a founding correspondent for 60 Minutes and co-host for Today Australia.

Ewart said Negus's 60 Minutes role ushered in "a whole new era for Australian journalism" and he became "quite a celebrity" for it.

"Current affairs hadn't been done this way before," she said.

"And he took it in his stride."

'A giant of Australian television'

In 1992, Negus presented the first episode of ABC's Foreign Correspondent. He would continue with the programme until 1999.

He will also be remembered as a mainstay on Dateline and The 7PM Project, and host of ABC's George Negus Tonight and Ten's 6:30 with George Negus.

ABC managing director David Anderson reacted to news of Negus's death in a statement expressing "great sadness".

"Many Australians will recognise George as a giant of Australian television and journalism," he said.

"Australian audiences loved not only his natural charm but also his intellectual curiosity for the world around him.

"On behalf of everyone at the ABC, I extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends."

'There was, and is, no one else like him'

When Negus won the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 2021, Walkley director and MEAA Media federal president Karen Percy paid him tribute in a statement praising his "charisma, his peerless and fearless approach, and his signature moustache".

"He has asked the hardest questions of world leaders, movie stars, business executives and sporting heroes," she said at the time.

"Those who know him say he's stayed true to his journalistic principles and to his political principles, based on a fair go for ordinary people."

Walkley Foundation chief executive and former HarperCollins Australia publishing director Shona Martyn called Negus "insightful, determined, clever and witty" in her statement about the award.

"George Negus has been able to distil the most complicated issues into the equivalent of a fireside chat," she said.

"What a legend. And what a contribution to Australian journalism."

In a statement of support for Negus's nomination, The Project co-host Waleed Aly noted his "signature melding of worldliness with his knockabout everyman style".

"George had this singular ability to present difference with clarity and honesty, but in a way that was bonding. Only the most perceptive - in fact, only the best - can do that," he said.

"There was, and is, no one else like him. It's like he created his own style of journalism."

'We should all be thankful that we had him'

Negus was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 and was honoured for his significant service to the media as a journalist and television presenter, and to conservation and the environment.

"While we know he will be celebrated for his unique contribution to journalism, football, and the environment, he would also want to be remembered for the incredible family man he was," his family's statement read.

Negus is survived by his wife Kirsty Cockburn, their sons Ned and Serge and grandchildren.

His children attended Bellingen High School and former principal Bob Stockton said he would take part in fundraising initiatives and lend a hand.

"I think nearly all of Bellingen would've claimed him as being a friend," Stockton said.

"I thought he was a mighty person.

"He really was a man of the people, and that's what we all loved about him."

"I hope Kirsty knows we're all thinking about her, it's been a very hard few years for her."

Local mayor Stephen Allan said Negus and his family were great contributors during the time they lived in there.

"George was very much part of the local community," Cr Allan said.

"They supported our local music and arts … very well."

He said Negus's "wealth of experience in journalism across the world was valued, choosing to bring his family up in this valley is what he will be remembered for".

Negus's family requested privacy and suggested fans "kick a football, enjoy a hearty bowl of pasta, plan your next adventure to somewhere intriguing, or ask a curious question you think needs answering" in Negus's honour.

"His great joy, always, I think, was his family, and what he created later in life - probably more than those 60 Minutes days," Ewart concluded.

"We should all be thankful that we had him."

-ABC