Morley Safer Dies

Morley Safer, longtime '60 Minutes' correspondent, dies at 84

Former "60 Minutes" correspondent Morley Safer, shown in 2009. (Associated Press)

Ryan Faughnder

Morley Safer, a longtime reporter for CBS' "60 Minutes," has died, the network confirmed Thursday.

Safer, 84, died at his home in Manhattan. He was the longest-serving correspondent at CBS News. Due to declining health, he announced his retirement last week.

"It’s been a wonderful run, but the time has come to say goodbye to all of my friends at CBS and the dozens of people who kept me on the air,” Safer said in his retirement statement last Wednesday. “But most of all, I thank the millions of people who have been loyal to our broadcast.”

A Toronto native, Safer first joined CBS News as a London-based correspondent in 1964 and a year later became the network's first Saigon bureau chief. He quickly distinguished himself with his coverage of the Vietnam War.

He had been a regular on "60 Minutes" since 1970. The newsmagazine is in its 48th season.

"60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager paid tribute to Safer on Twitter. "A masterful storyteller, inspiration to many of us and  a wonderful friend," Fager said.

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The network honored the veteran journalist's career with an hourlong special, "Morley Safer: A Reporter's Life," which aired Sunday on CBS. In the special, Safer, a former newspaper reporter, expressed his ambivalence toward television.

"It makes me uneasy," he said. "It is not natural to be talking into a piece of machinery. But the money is very good."

Safer's final piece for "60 Minutes" -- a profile of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels -- aired in March.

David Browning, Safer's longtime producer, told CBS that Safer had the ability to take stories "to the next level."

"There's an old saying of Mark Twain's that the difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. And that's what Morley did. He was lightning," Browning said.