Emmy-winning journalist and former New York news anchor Ernie Anastos has died at 82, station WABC confirmed.
Anastos' family confirmed his death to WABC, though no further details were shared.
"He was a news legend in New York and throughout the tri-state. He was also a news legend here at Channel 7 Eyewitness News. Tonight, we remember him," WABC anchor Bill Ritter said during the March 12 broadcast. "He was something unique and no matter your politics."
Ritter praised his longtime friend and colleague for being trusted by viewers, adding that Anastos believed in reporting the truth and facts. He shared a note Anastos sent him two weeks earlier that read "Hi Bill, Love you, and stay happy and healthy. Ernie."
The former Eyewitness News anchor worked at the New York City station from 1978 to 1989, after previously working at stations WWOR, CBS-affiliate WCBS and Fox-affiliate WNYW. He also hosted the "Positively Ernie" radio talk show for WABC 770 AM.
What did Ernie Anastos cover?
His decades of coverage included several historical events from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned more than 30 Emmy awards and nominations, as well as the prestigious Lifetime Emmy Award.
Anastos also covered the fatal shooting of John Lennon as he was in front of the Beatles singer's home moments before it occurred. Anastos was later featured in the 2020 documentary "Eyewitness to the Death of John Lennon."
He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Northeastern University and holds several honorary doctorates from New York Institute of Technology, Marist College, Manhattanville College, Curry College, and Sacred Heart University. His first completed news jobs were in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, before covering the Big Apple.
Ernie Anastos on what being a news anchor meant to him
WABC shared an interview with Anastos, in which he discussed what being an anchor meant to him and how meaningful it was when someone on the street approached him.
"They'll tell you about, perhaps, a comment that you would have made, something very personal. Something that makes you really understand that they were watching this thing. They weren't just flipping, just passing by. They were sitting down and paying attention to what you were talking about. That's very personal, Bill," he told Ritter.
FOX-affiliate WNYW shared a statement on the "profound sadness" of Anastos' passing. "An Emmy Award-winning journalist and beloved former Fox 5 news anchor, his voice, integrity, and lasting impact on New York journalism will never be forgotten."