Death of legendary journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts at the age of 75



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Cokie Roberts, a well-known journalist and political commentator on ABC News, died at the age of 75.

Roberts has won countless awards, including three Emmys, over his decades-long career. She has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for Broadcasting and Cable and has been cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 largest women in the history of broadcasting. She was named "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress in 2008.

"Cokie will be sorely missed, both for his contributions and for his love and kindness," said his family in a statement.

His death was due to complications of breast cancer.

Roberts, born Martha Mary Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs, said to have received the name "Cokie" from her older brother, who could not pronounce Corinne and nicknamed her Cokie. The name has remained since.

"Cokie Roberts will be sorely missed," said James Goldston, president of ABC News. "Cokie's kindness, generosity, acute intelligence and thoughtfulness about today's big issues have helped ABC become a better place and become better journalists."

"It's a true pioneer for women in journalism," said Goldston, "highly regarded for his insightful analysis of politics in Washington, his countless interviews, and especially for his unwavering support to generations of young women – the men – who would follow in his footsteps. "

She is survived by her husband, fellow journalist Steven Roberts, children Lee and Rebecca, and six grandchildren.

PHOTO: Cokie Roberts joined ABC News in 1988 and won the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.Heidi Gutman / ABC
Cokie Roberts joined ABC News in 1988 and won the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.

A graduate in political science from Wellesley College in 1964, she began her career on the radio as a foreign correspondent for CBS in the 1970s and began covering Capitol Hill for national public radio in 1978, on the Panama Canal Treaty.

In the early 1980s, she was posted full-time to Capitol Hill, where she was a congressional correspondent for more than a decade.

Roberts co-anchored "This Week" on ABC with Sam Donaldson from 1996 to 2002. She has also been a political commentator, chief congressional analyst and commentator for "This Week" over her three decades at ABC.

PHOTO: Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts host This Week on ABC, January 23, 1997.Terry Ashe / ABC
Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts host "This Week" on ABC on January 23, 1997.

Prior to joining ABC News in 1988, Roberts spent more than two decades in stores such as WNEW (1968), KNBC-TV (1974-1977), CBS News (1974-1977) and NPR from 1978 onwards. also a correspondent for MacNeil. -Lehrer Newshour and a senior analyst in charge of information for PBS.

In addition, she has written eight books, mainly on the role of women in American history, many of which were New York Times bestsellers.

She had recently admitted to having health problems.

"During the summer, I had health problems that required treatment leading to weight loss." I'm fine, "she said in a statement after the release of" This Week ". "I very much appreciate the kind comments I have received and expect to work as I have already done in the days and months ahead, covering what promises to be. be a fascinating election I am grateful to all who have been in touch and sent their good wishes, thank you for your concern. "

Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and treated successfully. When she was diagnosed, she talked about her long-standing work, urging women to routinely undergo mammograms.

"Fortunately, during my efforts to inform others about the disease, I learned about the benefits of early detection," she said in a statement released at the time, Washington reported. Post. "Now I am the beneficiary of this information."

She told La Poste that her diagnosis of cancer did not give her a new perspective on life because she already had one.

"I already had a healthy vision of life," she told the Washington Post. "I have always cared more about my family than my career, I lost my father at age 58 in a terrible accident and my sister at age 51. So I did not need to worry about it. an extra perspective of life. "

At a Q & A session on Facebook in 2013, when asked what was the best part of her career, she stated that her family had been "by far the best part" of her life.

"In my life, I had the chance to live a long and happy marriage, which gave birth to two wonderful children, each of whom produced three spectacular grandchildren, which is by far the best. career, I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to develop expertise and then be able to use this knowledge in broadcasting is rewarding.And I find book writing particularly satisfying, "she said. wrote in his response to the Facebook question.

Roberts belonged to a political family: she was the daughter of (Thomas) Hale Boggs, former leader of the majority in the House of Democrats and representative of New Orleans. His father was also a member of the Warren commission that investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

PHOTO: Cokie Roberts directs and interviews at the University Club in Washington, October 29, 2015.Samantha Sergi / ABC News
Cokie Roberts directs and interviews at the University Club in Washington, DC, October 29, 2015.

Hale Boggs died in a plane crash in Alaska in 1972 and his wife, Lindy Boggs, Roberts' mother, was elected to occupy the seat of her husband's late husband.

Lindy Boggs was then appointed United States Ambassador to the Holy See by then President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Roberts's brothers and sisters also had a passion for politics. His older brother, Thomas Boggs Jr., was a lobbyist and his sister Barbara Boggs Sigmund was the former mayor of Princeton, New Jersey. His younger brother, William, died in infancy, and his two other siblings also died.

In an interview earlier this year, Roberts said she was "the only person in my nuclear family who was not a congressional candidate, and now they have not won all of them – the only one who has not won. has never lost an election is my mother. "

But she filled that void with her foray into journalism.

"I've always felt half guilty about it, but I've somehow quieted down my guilt by writing about it and having the feeling of educating people about the government and about how to go about it. To be good voters and good citizens, "she told The Washington. To post.

Roberts married journalist Steve Roberts in 1966, after meeting at a political event in Ohio four years earlier, when they were both at the scene. ;university.

Steven Roberts worked as a reporter for the New York Times for many years, and in an interview in 2017, Cokie Roberts called her husband "my mentor when I started as a journalist."

"I had always been a good writer and so I started writing reports and writing, he was a great help and we worked a lot together," he said. she declared as part of an oral history project developed by the House of Representatives.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2017, Steve Roberts said he was "overthrown" by his wife's intellect.

PHOTO:

SLIDESHOW: Cokie Roberts through the years

"Marrying the right person is the most important decision of your life – everything else is secondary." From the beginning, I knew how amazing Cokie was, "said Steve Roberts in The Times article. published to celebrate their union of 50 years in 2017.

The two men were married under an apple tree in the yard of the family home in Bethesda, Maryland. The then president, Lyndon B. Johnson, and the first lady, Lady Bird, were among the 1,500 guests present. The house remained in the family and was home to Cokie and Steve Roberts at the time of his death.

Full statement from Cokie Roberts' family:

His loving family announces the death of journalist and writer Cokie Roberts as a result of breast cancer on September 17th.

Born Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs on December 27, 1943, Cokie was above all a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a cousin and a friend.

Cokie's career as a journalist with National Public Radio and ABC News has brought her to the top of her profession, and her success as an author on history and her family has put her on the list of Bestsellers.

But his values ​​place family and relationships first and foremost.

She is survived by her 53-year-old husband, journalist, author and professor Steven V. Roberts, her children Lee Roberts and Rebecca Roberts, her grandchildren Regan, Hale and Cecilia Roberts and Claiborne, Jack and Roland Hartman, and many nieces and nephews. and cousins.

She also survives through friendships and causes in which she has put her time, resources and energy too many to count.

We would like to thank the National Institutes of Health staff for their dedication, expertise, hard work and incredible care of Cokie during his illness.

Cokie will be sorely missed, both for his contributions and for his love and kindness.

We hope that Cokie will now join her parents, former congressmen Hale and Lindy Boggs, her brothers and sisters Barbara, Tom and William, who died before her and her god.

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