Legendary broadcaster George Negus is being remembered by his colleagues as a “great bloke” and “fearless” journalist after his death aged 82.
The veteran reporter and former 60 Minutes presenter died following a “gracious decline” with Alzheimer’s, his family said in a statement.
Negus’ colleague and friend Ray Martin paid a poignant tribute to the renowned presenter, describing him as “a very good mate”.
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“Logie created television for George Negus, he was probably the strongest TV character I can remember on Australian television,” Martin told 9News.
“He was outrageous, he was charismatic, he was loud, he was heavily opinionated, he was funny. He was just a great bloke.”
Martin recalled his time spent alongside the late great TV icon working on 60 Minutes when it was first launched.
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He said Negus was a strong reporter with an incredible news sense who was “made for TV”.
“George, as I say, he was created for television, despite the fact that he was a very good newspaper journalist, he was meant for television,” Martin said.
“George loved the craft of journalism, he was very ethical and very honest but he was also a great storyteller.
“He knew it was no good doing something that was worthy and people wanted to turn off. You had to listen to what he was telling you.”
He added: “That was the style he had that you couldn’t avoid Negus, you had to watch him and you had to listen to him.”
Journalist Ian Leslie, a fellow founding 60 Minutes reporter, offered touching words on-air 2GB Drive with Chris O’Keefe.
“He left an enormous body of work, sadly this had to happen… It’s not unexpected, we’ve been steeling ourselves for this news for the past two years,” Leslie said.
“It leaves me feeling very empty. It’s a very strange feeling, the three of us thought we’d be around forever.”
“It’s an empty, sad, lonely feeling.”
Leslie said Negus was the driving force behind 60 Minutes‘ early success.
“We needed that face and that voice,” he said.
“Negus was the frontrunner, never frightened to express his opinion, and he had an opinion on everything.”
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged Negus as a “giant of Australian journalism” following his death.
“His courage, curiosity and integrity gave millions of Australians a sense of the big issues on 60 Minutes, and a window to the world through Foreign Correspondent,” Alabnese said.
“George sought and served the truth with steely determination and a twinkle in his eye, and along the way, he made even the smallest TV screen feel that much bigger.
“He was a wonderful human being and his loss will be deeply felt by so many Australians.”
He added: “We offer his family the heartfelt condolences of our nation. May he rest in peace.”
60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes said: “George always had an insatiable appetite for information, but he was a regular guy too.
“This is a guy who loved the cooking segment on the Today show, this is a guy who enjoyed sport and he was a family man.”
Journalist and author Peter FitzSimons also bid vale to Negus and said he was a “lovely bloke” and a “strong and fearless journalist”.
Negus’ family issued a statement about the pioneering journalist’s death and said he was an “incredible family man”.
“To us, ‘Negsy’ was the greatest father, grandfather, and partner there ever was,” the statement read.
“We created a beautiful life together and we will miss him dearly.”
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