Tributes to the late CBS newsman Walter Cronkite poured in Friday night and Saturday morning, with political and media figures registering their memories of the longtime anchor.
Cronkite passed away in New York City last night at the age if 92, after a long career in which he served as a journalistic voice of record on television.
“He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family,” President Obama said in a statement Friday night. “He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed.”
Elsewhere, other political figures checken in on Twitter to send their condolences.
Via spokesman Don Stewart on Twitter, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said:
McConnell on Cronkite: “He will be forever memorialized as a pioneer in broadcast news, and …one of the most trusted men in America.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), a former astronaut whose profession long captured Cronkite’s imagination, tweeted:
A star has set – with Walter Cronkite’s passing America has lost one of her most trusted voices
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted:
Walter Cronkite was a fixture in American living rooms for decades, a great TV journalist. My thoughts are with his family & friends.
Within the CBS family, White House correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted:
I came to CBS News after Cronkite relinquished the anchor chair. I regret I never got to work with him. But his legacy will inspire always.
And the tributes poured in from broadcast competitors, such as ABC News White House correspondent Jake Tapper, who tweeted:
deepest condolences to our friends at CBS @katiecouric @cbsandrewcohen @markknoller @cbskellywallace and everyone else —
Cross-posted to the Briefing Room.