60 MINUTES LEGEND ANDY ROONEY DEAD AT 92
Andy RooneyAndy Rooney, the legend fro, CBS news hit show “60 Minutes,” delivered every week from 1978 until 2011, died on Friday in New York City. He was 92.
CBS News said in a statement that Mr. Rooney died after complications following minor surgery.
In late September, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney would be making his last regular weekly appearance on “60 Minutes” on Oct. 2. After that, said Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the program’s executive producer, he would “always have the ability to speak his mind on ‘60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him.”
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James Edstrom's Note: Having met Andy Rooney several times, I always thought what a great job he had. He complained about everything, something which I am so good at. He was a nice guy, he just wanted to be left alone. He was such a regular person. I remember being at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I was heading back to New York City after a week long session of photo shoots with talk show host Jerry Springer. He was wondering around looking at everything, it was like he was examining every little detail, perhaps for a future story. I kept watching him, thinking to myself if I should say hello, but I knew he always wanted to be left alone.
I was then in shock, when I boarded the plane for New York and Andy was sitting in front of me in coach. I briefly said hello and I took my seat and sat there wondering why The Legend, The Icon Andy Rooney would fly coach like the rest of us. He had the money to fly first class, and most likely CBS was paying for the flight anyway, so why was he in coach? I then realized he was just a normal person, who did not get his celebrity status. Any other newsman of his stature would be up in first class drinking champagne, and acting like a famous star. But this was not Andy Rooney. Andy Rooney was just like anyone else. He was not scared to sit with real people and to be a real person. I think this is why so many Americans loved watching Andy Rooney reports. Andy Rooney said what Americans thought. Andy Rooney complained about what Americans complained about and we loved it for someone like us to tell it like it is. The world has lost another great News Legend.
Photo By: Walter McBride/Retna
CBS News said in a statement that Mr. Rooney died after complications following minor surgery.
In late September, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney would be making his last regular weekly appearance on “60 Minutes” on Oct. 2. After that, said Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the program’s executive producer, he would “always have the ability to speak his mind on ‘60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him.”
****
James Edstrom's Note: Having met Andy Rooney several times, I always thought what a great job he had. He complained about everything, something which I am so good at. He was a nice guy, he just wanted to be left alone. He was such a regular person. I remember being at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I was heading back to New York City after a week long session of photo shoots with talk show host Jerry Springer. He was wondering around looking at everything, it was like he was examining every little detail, perhaps for a future story. I kept watching him, thinking to myself if I should say hello, but I knew he always wanted to be left alone.
I was then in shock, when I boarded the plane for New York and Andy was sitting in front of me in coach. I briefly said hello and I took my seat and sat there wondering why The Legend, The Icon Andy Rooney would fly coach like the rest of us. He had the money to fly first class, and most likely CBS was paying for the flight anyway, so why was he in coach? I then realized he was just a normal person, who did not get his celebrity status. Any other newsman of his stature would be up in first class drinking champagne, and acting like a famous star. But this was not Andy Rooney. Andy Rooney was just like anyone else. He was not scared to sit with real people and to be a real person. I think this is why so many Americans loved watching Andy Rooney reports. Andy Rooney said what Americans thought. Andy Rooney complained about what Americans complained about and we loved it for someone like us to tell it like it is. The world has lost another great News Legend.
Photo By: Walter McBride/Retna
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