Mike Wallace, “60 Minutes” Interviewer, Dies

Mike Wallace, a newsman who did groundbreaking work in TV journalism died Saturday night at the age of 93. On CBS’ Face the Nation, Bob Scheiffer, said Wallace had died at a care facility in New Haven, Connecticut, reports the Associated Press. “His family was with him,” Scheiffer said. Wallace had been sick for several years, notes the New York Times.

One of the most famous names in TV journalism was a workaholic who found it difficult to stop when he retired as a regular correspondent in March 2006. Wallace was the first man hired by the late Don Hewitt when he was putting together the staff of 60 Minutes in 1968. The show turned into a hit and Wallace became a household name because of his tough interviewing style. Throughout his almost four-decade career on the show, Wallace worked on around 800 reports and won 20 Emmys, reports Reuters.

 “There were very few 20th century icons who didn't submit to a Mike Wallace interview,” writes Morley Safer, a 60 Minutes correspondent, on the CBS News website. “He lectured Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, on corruption. He lectured Yassir Arafat on violence.”

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter recalls that in an interview after his retirement, Wallace said he would want his epitaph to read, “Tough But Fair.”