60 Minutes, Dateline journalist George Negus dead

Famous for getting under the skin of Margaret Thatcher, George Negus, who was the blueprint for Australian foreign correspondents, has passed away.

George Negus, the groundbreaking TV reporter who made a mission of introducing Australian audiences to overseas issues, has died in Sydney, age 82.

He had been battling Alzheimer’s for several years and in a heartbreaking recent update was said to be “non verbal” towards the end.

His family released a statement saying Negus “passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones.”

The family thanked the Australian healthcare workers for supporting Negus during his final moments.

“Despite the challenges diseases like Alzheimer’s inflict on families, we still shared beautiful times, laughter and happiness together in recent times. We also learnt a lot,” the statement said.

His family have also requested privacy during this time and suggested that fans honour Negus by going to “kick a football, enjoy a hearty bowl of pasta, plan your next adventure to somewhere intiguing, or ask a curious question you think needs answering.”

George Negus was also an author, penning The World from Italy, the World from Islam and The World from Down Under. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

Tributes flowed from those who knew the beloved reporter and had worked with him over the years, including his colleagues at 60 Minutes and the ABC.

“An icon of journalism. A legendary broadcaster. A friend to many,” a 60 Minutes tribute said. “We will always treasure the stories and memories he gave us all.”

An icon of journalism.
A legendary broadcaster.
A friend to many.#60Mins founding reporter George Negus has sadly died at 82, after a battle with Alzheimer's disease.

We will always treasure the stories and memories he gave us all. pic.twitter.com/2mtB5sAxUs

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) October 15, 2024

Journalist Peter FitzSimmons wrote, “Vale George Negus. Lovely bloke. Larrikin. TV pioneer. Strong and fearless journalist.”

“Vale George Negus. A great colleague, mentor and fun person to be around, always armed with yarns to spin,” wrote ABC senior business correspondent Peter Ryan OAM on X. “George set so many standards as a journalist - that live on today.”

60 Minutes journalist Charles Wooley paid tribute to Negus, saying he first “raised eyebrows” at the ABC with his “unabashed broad Australian accent.”

“But when he went to 60 Minutes that idiomatic style soon became the house look. It worked and now we don’t have to ‘put on the dog’ in front of the camera,” Wooley said.

TV presenter Prue MacSween wrote on X, “RIP George Negus. It was a pleasure working with you & knowing you. I think the longest lunch I ever had was with you & it was always fun. Thinking of Kirsty & family at this sad time.”

RIP George Negus. It was a pleasure working with you & knowing you. I think the longest lunch I ever had was with you & it was always fun. Thinking of Kirsty & family at this sad time.

— Prue MacSween (@macsween_prue) October 15, 2024

Presenter Andrew Brown said Negus was an “old school, iconic Aussie broadcaster who was damn good at his job. Was lucky to work in the same newsroom for a fleeting moment. Rest in Peace, George Negus.”

Walkley Award director and MEAA Media federal president Karen Percy paid tribute to the veteran journalist, honouring his “fearless approach and his signature moustache.”

Nine’s Director of Television Michael Healy said Australia had lost one of its greatest storytellers.

“When you watched a George Negus interview it was thoughtful, intelligent, composed,” Healy said in a statement. “He was always in control.”

Fiona Dear, Director of News and Current Affairs said, “Like many Australians, I grew up watching George Negus every Sunday night on 60 Minutes. He opened Australia’s eyes to the world, he took us to places we didn’t know existed, and introduced us to the people who shaped society.”

Prime Minister Bob Hawke and journalist George Negus at the launch of the Environmental Futures Group, March 1991. Picture: National Archives of Australia

In a career spanning more than 50 years, across four TV networks and two print outlets, Negus was a formative figure in the style of foreign correspondents who catered to an Australian public increasingly conscious of the wider world.

He is best remembered for his sharp questioning of late twentieth century leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev, Muammar Gaddafi, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.

But perhaps his most infamous interview was with UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1981; when Negus described her as “pig headed” in a question, the Iron Lady demanded to know who had used such a descriptor.

Born on March 13, 1942, Negus grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly before studying at Queensland University. His journalistic career began at age 28, writing for The Australian and Australian Financial Review.

He made his TV debut on the ABC’s This Day Tonight, a program discontinued in 1978, and in 1979 he became part of the inaugural line-up of 60 Minutes at Channel 9 alongside Ray Martin and Ian Leslie. He would later be joined by premier reporters such as Richard Carleton, Jennifer Byrne and Jeff McMullen.

Negus departed Sixty Minutes after seven years and went on to host Today from 1990.

George Negus was a presenter and reporter at Channel 9, Channel 10, ABC and SBS.

He would return overseas with the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent in 1992 and SBS’s Dateline in 2005.

Negus garnered a reputation as a candid newsman, known for his open collar shirts and bushy moustache.

The late journalist rounded out his TV career at Channel 10 on 6:30 with George Negus, The Circle and The Project.

Negus was honoured with the 1980 TV Reporter the Year Logie and the 2021 Walkley for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 in recognition of his contributions to the media and conservation.

Negus’ wife, journalist Kirsty Cockburn, had been his sole carer from their Bellingen home on the NSW North Coast, before he entered aged care in February 2022.

George Negus and his son Serge at the opening night of the 2017 Sydney Film Festival held at the State Theatre. Picture: Richard Dobson

He is survived by Ms Cockburn and his sons Ned and Serge Negus. Serge was given the opportunity to reflect on his father’s career at the 2021 Walkleys, describing him as “profoundly intelligent with an intrigue and an insight for the world around him”.

In a 2018 interview for Sixty Minutes, Negus had the same opportunity, calling himself an “anti-war correspondent”, and detailing his pride in creating news that respected its audience.

“People say to me, ‘when I meet you, you’re just like you are on television’, I say ‘no you’ve got it wrong’. On television I’m just like I am,” he said.

“Which means sometimes you’ll tell me how wonderful what I’ve done is, and sometimes you’ll feel like chucking rocks at the set.”

“If you think you know me, you do.”

Originally published as 60 Minutes, Dateline journalist George Negus dead