George Alagiah, a cherished journalist and presenter for the BBC, has passed away.
George passed away today, July 24, 2023. Bowel cancer had been identified in him in 2014.
Tim Davie, the head of the BBC, said:
"Everyone at the BBC is heartbroken to learn the news about George. At this point, we are considering his family.
"George was among the brightest and boldest journalists of his generation. He presented the news flawlessly while reporting boldly from all over the world.
Audiences could sense his warmth, understanding, and genuine humanity in addition to his excellence as a journalist. Everyone adored him, and we will all greatly miss him.
An account of George Alagiah
During his more than three decades of service to the BBC, George Alagiah reported and hosted numerous programs, most recently 20 years of BBC News at Six. He had been a distinguished foreign correspondent before this.
He was born in Sri Lanka and spent his early years there before travelling to Ghana and eventually England. He began working for the BBC in 1989 as a foreign affairs correspondent before switching to become an Africa correspondent. A multi-award-winning journalist, George received recognition for his coverage of the famine and war in Somalia in the early 1990s. In 1994, he was nominated for a Bafta for his reporting on Saddam Hussein's genocide campaign against the Kurds in northern Iraq.
In 1994, for its reporting of the Burundian civil war, he was voted the best journalist by Amnesty International. He was also selected the best television journalist of the year by the Broadcasting Press Guild.
Before becoming one of the primary presenters of the BBC News at Six in 2003, George later delivered the BBC One O'Clock News, Nine O'Clock News, and BBC Four News. For a long time, George also had his own program on BBC World News.
In 2008, he received an OBE for his contributions to journalism.
George returned to presenting in 2015 despite receiving a stage four colon cancer diagnosis in 2014. When not receiving treatment, he continued to provide commentary for the BBC.
With his wife of 40 years, Frances Robathan, he had two sons and three grandchildren.
(Source: BBC)