TV News Anchor Peter Jennings Dies Of Lung Cancer

NEW YORK -- Peter Jennings, the suave, Canadian-born broadcaster who delivered the news to Americans each night in five separate decades, has died. He was 67.

Jennings announced April 5 that he had lung cancer. Fellow ABC News anchor Charles Gibson said Jennings died Sunday at his apartment.

Jennings' announcement four months ago that he would begin treatment for lung cancer came as a shock.

In a taped message, his voice husky, Jennings said: "I will continue to do the broadcast ... On good days, my voice will not always be like this."

But although Jennings occasionally went to the office, he never again appeared on the air.

With Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, Jennings was part of a triumvirate that dominated network news for more than two decades. His smooth delivery and years of international reporting experience made Jennings particularly popular among urban dwellers.

Jennings was the face of ABC News whenever a big story broke. He logged more than 60 hours on the air during the week of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, offering a soothing sense of continuity during a troubled time.

ABC reported that in announcing Jennings' death to his colleagues, ABC News President David Westin wrote:

"For four decades, Peter has been our colleague, our friend, and our leader in so many ways. None of us will be the same without him.

"As you all know, Peter learned only this spring that the health problem he'd been struggling with was lung cancer. With Kayce, he moved straight into an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. He knew that it was an uphill struggle. But he faced it with realism, courage, and a firm hope that he would be one of the fortunate ones. In the end, he was not.

"We will have many opportunities in the coming hours and days to remember Peter for all that he meant to us all. It cannot be overstated or captured in words alone. But for the moment, the finest tribute we can give is to continue to do the work he loved so much and inspired us to do."

Jennings is survived by his wife, Kayce Freed, and his two children, Elizabeth, 25, and Christopher, 23.