Jim Lehrer, the co-founder and longtime anchor of PBS NewsHour, has passed away on Thursday at the age of 85, according to the organization.
In a press release, PBS NewsHour said, Lehrer, who made a name for himself covering the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings on PBS, passed away in his sleep.
Lehrer and Robert MacNeil founded PBS NewsHour in 1975. In 2011, Lehrer retired after anchoring for nearly 36 years.
PBS NewsHour said on Twitter, “With heavy hearts we report the death of PBS NewsHour co-founder Jim Lehrer at age 85. A giant in journalism, his tenacity and dedication to simply delivering the news remain the core of our work.”
Former Yahoo’s Global News Anchor, Katie Couric, paid tribute to Lehrer on Twitter. She tweeted, “Jim Lehrer was a legendary journalist and anchor. May he rest in peace.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi also paid tribute to Lehrer’s death. She wrote, “Our nation has lost a champion for truth and transparency.”
Lehrer moderated 12 presidential debates and every presidential debate leading up to the 1996 and 2000 elections.
President Bill Clinton awarded him the National Humanities Medal.
Managing Editor of PBS NewsHour, Judy Woodruff, said, “I’m heartbroken at the loss of someone who was central to my professional life, a mentor to me and someone whose friendship I’ve cherished for decades. I’ve looked up to him as the standard for fair, probing and thoughtful journalism and I know countless others who feel the same way.”
Before co-founding PBS, he worked for Dallas public television station KERA, the National Public Affairs Center for Television, the Dallas Times-Herald, and the Dallas Morning News.
Lehrer attended Victoria College in Texas before studying journalism at the University of Missouri. The news anchor served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years.
