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CBS newsman and 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer is retiring after more than 50 years.
The longest-serving 60 Minutes correspondent will formally retire this week, CBS announced on Wednesday, May 11, and the reporter, who began his career as a CBS regular in 1970, told Us Weekly via a statement that he’s incredibly grateful for his amazing career.
“After more than 50 years of broadcasting on CBS News and 60 Minutes I have decided to retire,” the 84-year-old said. “It’s been a wonderful run, but the time has come to say goodbye to all of my friends at CBS and the dozens of people who kept me on the air,” he added. “But most of all I thank the millions of people who have been loyal to our broadcast.”
Safer’s unparalleled work will be celebrated in an hourlong special, Morley Safer: A Reporter’s Life, which will air following the Sunday, May 15, regular edition of 60 Minutes.
“Morley has had a brilliant career as a reporter and as one of the most significant figures in CBS News history, on our broadcast and in many of our lives,” Jeff Fager, executive producer of 60 Minutes, said. “Morley’s curiosity, his sense of adventure and his superb writing all made for exceptional work done by a remarkable man. The best of Morley Safer will be on display in our special broadcast this Sunday.”
The show will trace Safer’s life, from his birth in Toronto through his rise in the 1950s and ’60s as a distinguished war reporter to his time as a 60 Minutes correspondent.
Watch a preview of the tribute in the clip above.