The Tragic Death Of CBS News Correspondent Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner has died. The former CBS News correspondent passed away at the age of 85, with his wife, Donna Lewis-Wagner, confirming the sad news to Deadline. Exactly what Wagner died of has not yet been confirmed publicly, though it was announced that he passed away at home.
The reporter was hugely popular with viewers over this impressive career, which spanned more than three decades. Wagner became a trustworthy voice for the U.S. when it came to what was going on around the country and abroad, with him perhaps being most famous for covering the likes of the Vietnam War. He also achieved the impressive feat of reporting from 50 states during his career, per Ad Week, as well as visiting around 50 countries to report the important news, while being based in the likes of London, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and Saigon.
Wagner appeared on "CBS Evening News," while also reporting regularly for CBS News, where he became the network's first Health and Science correspondent, but left the CBS news world behind back in 1993. The Washington Post reported at the time that he left his position after a staggering 29 years when the network decided not to renew his contract, but had turned his attention to CBS Radio in the years before the decision was made.
Richard Wagner's newscasts
Some of Robert Wagner's news reports are still available to watch online, with YouTube hosting some of his newscasts from his CBS News days. One video showed the late star in November 1981, reporting from the studio about the safe return of Space Shuttle Columbia to California. Another news clip featuring Wagner showed him reporting on location from El Salvador when he came under gunfire as part of the Salvadoran Civil War during a run-in with the group known as The Gorillaz.
Wagner spoke candidly about some of those tough experiences in 2018. He spoke openly on the "Captured Culture" podcast about a time he and his team were "pinned down" and unable to move, while recalling some of his harrowing journalistic journeys as one of the nation's most beloved anchors. During the horrific experience reporting war, he explained, "I found my hand was shaking so much that I couldn't really do it. It affected me to the point where my hand was shaking so badly I couldn't do what I had to do."
According to Deadline, Wagner is survived by his wife, Donna Lewis-Wagner, as well as their daughter, Kerry Wagner.