Former White House press secretary and longtime, well-respected broadcast journalist Bill Moyers has away.
Moyers, 91, passed away on Thursday. He had previously lived in New Jersey.
According to William Cope Moyers, his son, he passed away in New York due to complications from prostate cancer, as reported by The Washington Post.
After working as President Lyndon B. Johnson’s press secretary from 1965 to 1967 and chief of staff from 1964 to 1965, the PBS journalist decided to pursue a career in journalism.
Moyers was among those in the Johnson administration who contributed to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which made it possible for the nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting to be established before PBS.
From 1972 to 1981, Moyers hosted This Week with Bill Moyers and then Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. The program was brought back to life in 2007.
Among other shows for the network, Moyers helmed the weekly PBS public affairs program Now with Bill Moyers from 2002 to 2005.
Moyers was born in Oklahoma, raised in Marshall, Texas, and spent over ten years in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Moyers, Bill (1979). He played a key role in the establishment of PBS.Brownie Harris via Getty Images via Corbis
He led Long Island’s Newsday to two Pulitzer Prizes in 1970 while serving as its publisher for a number of years.
In the late 1970s, Moyers was employed by CBS News, first as chief correspondent for CBS Reports and then in the 1980s as a commentator for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
Moyers started commentating for NBC News and hosting Insight on MSNBC in the 1990s.
According to a statement from Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, “We lost a true giant of public media today with the passing of Bill Moyers.” In addition to being an exceptional journalist, Bill was a trusted aide to President Johnson who was instrumental in the founding of PBS.
I had the honor of working directly with him for more than thirty years, and throughout that time, I was constantly motivated by his unshakable dedication to the principles that now motivate public media and the clarity of his vision, Kerger said. As a journalist, a mentor, and a fervent supporter of PBS, Bill was always willing to help. He advocated for integrity and quality in our public conversation and was always prepared to approach the most pressing problems of the day with empathy and inquiry. Even though we will mourn him terribly, we will keep up his legacy by serving the American people.
Moyers at the 2016 Rutgers University commencement with then-President Barack Obama.AFP via Getty Images | Saul Loeb
In 1995, Moyers became a member of the Television Hall of Fame and was honored with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. Over his career, he received numerous Emmys, and in 2006, he received a Lifetime Emmy Award. A lifetime Peabody Award, many George Polk Awards, and the golden baton from the duPont-Columbia University Awards are among his numerous career accolades.
Judith Davidson Moyers, who has been Moyers’ wife since 1954, collaborated with him on shows such as Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home, Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers, Now on PBS, and Bill Moyers Journal.
According to The Washington Post, Davidson Moyers, their three children, John, Suzanne, and William Cope Moyers, as well as six granddaughters and one great-granddaughter, are Moyers’ surviving family.
Moyers at the 2015 Writers Guild of America Awards with his wife, Judith Davidson Moyers.WireImage | Jim Spellman
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