Longtime DC news anchor Bruce Johnson dies at 71

Bruce Johnson, a longtime Washington, D.C. news anchor, died at the age of 71 on Sunday, confirmed by his wife on her Facebook page.

For more than four decades, Johnson anchored the news at the CBS affiliate WUSA9. He retired in December 2020 after taking a short hiatus in 2018 when he announced he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He died of heart failure, according to WUSA9.

“Bruce Johnson was a giant of DC journalism, a father, grandfather, husband, & proud author,” Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) tweeted Sunday night. “Like many Washingtonians, he’s been a part of my life since I was a little girl, delivering the news and giving voice to DC residents. I’m heartbroken. Rest in Heaven.”

Johnson covered D.C. politics, earning two shows with his namesake at the network, and received 22 Emmy Awards for his broadcasts. He also wrote two books about former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and D.C. drug trafficker Rayful Edmond. 

He is survived by his wife, Lori Smith-Johnson, his three children and three grandchildren.