Renowned ABC News journalist Cokie Roberts, among the first female broadcast reporters to cover the highest levels of U.S. government, died Tuesday due to complications from breast cancer, her family and the network said.
She was 75.
“We will miss Cokie beyond measure, both for her contributions and for her love and kindness,” her family said in a statement.
ABC News President James Goldston called Roberts “a true pioneer for women in journalism” who will be dearly missed.
“Cokie’s kindness, generosity, sharp intellect and thoughtful take on the big issues of the day made ABC a better place and all of us better journalists,” Goldston said.
The award-winning journalist, political commentator and author died from complications from breast cancer, according to the family statement.
In addition to her ABC News career, she was among the first female reporters at National Public Radio, working alongside other renowned journalists like Nina Totenberg, Linda Wertheimer and Susan Stamberg — often called “the Founding Mothers of NPR,” the outlet said.
“Roberts helped shape the public broadcaster’s sound and culture at a time when few women held prominent roles in journalism,” NPR tweeted.
Goldston at ABC News said Roberts won all of the major awards in journalism and was relentless in pursuing often-overlooked stories about American history.
“A terrifically talented writer and historian, Cokie published six books, many of them best-sellers and most about women in American history, whose stories often had been overlooked,” the network’s news president said.
“She won every major award in journalism and was recognized with over 30 honorary degrees. Cokie was named one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting by the American Women in Radio and Television, and the Library of Congress declared her a ‘Living Legend’ in 2008, making her one of the very few Americans ever honored.”
Her colleague Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, called Roberts a “mentor, friend and one of my favorite people in the world.”
“Cokie attended 22 national political conventions — that may be a record — I had the privilege of interviewing her on the floor of her last convention,” Karl tweeted.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
