NAACP Salutes, Mourns Award-winning Journalist Ed Bradley

The officers and membership of the NAACP join with those across the globe and in the broadcast community to mourn the passing of a legendary television news figure. Ed Bradley, known for his long-time work as a correspondent on CBS's news magazine 60 Minutes, died today in a New York hospital, the result of leukemia complications. He was 65.

"Ed Bradley was a world class journalist," said NAACP President & CEO Bruce S. Gordon. "He got the stories no one else could get and he covered those stories the way no one else could cover them. The world will miss him as a journalist. I will miss him as a friend."

With his distinctive, authoritative voice, intense glare and enviable style, on and off camera, Bradley is widely regarded as one of the best interviewers in television history. Bradley was known for his investigative reports and for many years was the lone African American on a national TV news magazine formatted program.

The Philadelphia native began his broadcast career in 1963 at WDAS radio in his hometown after receiving a degree in education from Cheyney State College in Pennsylvania. His introduction to news reporting came during the riots in Philadelphia in the 1960s.

Although his career canvassed an unequaled array of people and events, Bradley always managed to cover those issues and personalities of particular interest to the African American community.

He was on the Gulf Coast quicker than most national news types, filing multiple stories related to the plight of those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Most recently he completed a thorough analysis of the Duke University lacrosse team rape case.

In his 26 years with 60 Minutes, Bradley spoke with everyone, including most recently Tiger Woods, Morgan Freeman, and Condoleeza Rice. Bradley, a great music lover, also interviewed Miles Davis, Lena Horne and Michael Jackson, among other performers. He once moonlighted as a disc jockey, earning $1.50 an hour spinning records while working as a teacher by day. In his later years, he hosted the radio show "Jazz at Lincoln Center."

Among his many honors are receiving an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the Paul White Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

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