Peter Jennings Dead At 67

Peter Jennings was always one of my favorite anchors. He gave the impression that he was implacable, but with a sense of humor in his eyes and mouth that humanized his newscasts.

He anchored ABC's 'World News Tonight' since 1983 and announced on-air in April that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a former smoker but quit about 20 years ago.

Jennings was born in Toronto and was the son of Charles Jennings, the original voice of the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Jennings was a high school dropout and a former bank teller who was hired by ABC in 1964 after working in radio and television. He became an American citizen in 2003.

He celebrated his 67th birthday on July 29. He died today in his New York apartment with his wife, Kayce Freed, and his children, 25-year-old Elizabeth and 23-year-old Christopher, as well as his sister Sarah Jennings, by his side.

NY Times Obit
CNN Obit