CBS Remembers Ed Bradley

Friends And Colleagues Share Memories Of A Legendary Newsman

(CBS)  Ed Bradley joined the CBS family in August, 1967. In the subsequent 40 years, he touched the lives of hundreds of colleagues.

Here are some brief remembrances from people who knew and loved him.

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"He had a way of bringing out the best in everyone. He did it – whether it was Derek Jeter, George Burns, or Lena Horne.

It's very, sort of, difficult to quantify Ed Bradley. He just was. He was Ed Bradley and that was enough."
– Don Hewitt, creator, 60 Minutes

"It was his humanity, his compassion – starting way back with those Cambodian boat people where he stopped being a reporter. He could get things out of people because he, I don't know, he just had a way of being honest about himself. He was so comfortable in his own skin."
– Lesley Stahl, correspondent, 60 Minutes

"I don't think that in the twenty years I knew him I ever saw him lose his composure. I saw him lose his temper a couple of times, but I never saw him lose his composure. People try and tell reporters that you should 'walk with the people.' Well, Ed truly walked with the people."
– Steve Kroft, correspondent, 60 Minutes

"When you think of the overall body of work he did, it's hard to imagine anybody could ever duplicate that.

You don't replace a man like Ed Bradley at any news organization. He is a legend, and we're going to miss his work. But, I think just as important, we're going to miss Ed Bradley the man."
– Sean McManus, President, CBS News and CBS Sports

"A kind, gentle, strong man. A first-rate reporter and a first-rate human being. And I can not believe what I have heard about his passing. Strong – always in and out of gymnasiums trying to keep in shape. It's just a shock.

When he laughed, he laughed whole-heartedly from down deep. He was just an absolutely delightful man."
– Mike Wallace, correspondent, 60 Minutes

"Ed Bradley was simply the coolest person I have ever known. He was a great observer of the American scene with a shrewd eye and a terrific sense of humor. And let me tell you, no one ever put one over on Ed Bradley.

Ed was a great person to be a around who never forgot where he came from. He was a great helper to African-American journalists. He was also the softest touch in town. He wasn't into the celebrity charity thing, but he helped a whole lot of people over the years who really needed it."

– Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent and host of Face The Nation

"It's a sad day at CBS News and really for all of journalism. This is a family here today that is devastated by the loss of Ed."
– Rome Hartman, Executive Producer, CBS Evening New With Katie Couric, and former producer, 60 Minutes.

"Ed Bradley encompassed everything you admire in a great journalist – he loved the chase – he loved the reveal of a great story – he had the ability to connect with people on a very human level. One of the great parts about Ed was that he valued where he had come from and his journey to where he was. He understood that he was a role model for many people. If someone came running around a corner saying 'Ed, Ed,' he would stop, turn around, walk to that person and shake their hand.

Ed inspired you. Ed made you want to be better at your job. There's one other great part about being with Ed... You were much cooler if you stood next to Ed Bradley. He was the coolest man on the planet. I miss him already."
— Susan Zirinsky, Executive Producer, 48 Hours

"I had the good fortune to work with him as his writer on a prime time magazine program called Street Stories in the early ‘90s. I was awed by him. He had this quiet dignity and decency. And stature. You tried to stand a little taller when he came into the room. It was more than mere physical presence. I once cracked to someone that writing for him was like writing for Othello. But it was true. There was a larger-than-life quality to him."
— Greg Kandra, Editor, Couric & Co.

"It’s an incredibly sad day for everyone at CBS News. Ed was a phenomenal reporter and a great man. Never have the words 'he will be missed' meant more."
— Bill Owens, Senior Broadcast Producer, CBS Evening New With Katie Couric

"He was such an elegant person and a great reporter. He was also my friend. We are so lucky to have known him. He raised the bar for all of us."
— Mary Alice Williams, writer, CBS Evening News With Katie Couric

"He was such an inspiration for me. The thing about Ed is he's such a legend, but he's also just a really hip, wonderful, talented guy. He had such an amazing heart."
— Michele Filgate, Production Secretary, CBS Evening News With Katie Couric, and a former intern for 60 Minutes



©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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