Australian journalist and presenter George Negus has died at the age of 82 after a battle with Alzheimer's Disease.
In a statement, his family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones and thanked healthcare workers for their support.
Negus was a former host of SBS Dateline, and the founding host of the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program.
He worked as a high school teacher in Brisbane before beginning his media career writing for The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.
He was also known for his work on 60 Minutes, Today Australia, The Project, and hosted 6.30 with George Negus in 2011.
Negus also wrote several books, had a media consulting company, and won a Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism.
He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015.
"Despite the challenges diseases like Alzheimer’s inflict on families, we still shared beautiful times, laughter and happiness together in recent times," the family said.
"We also learnt a lot".
Last month one of his sons, Ned, said in a Linkedin post his father was in an aged care facility.
"For those of you who don’t know, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around five years ago", Ned said.
"He’s now non verbal most of the time (mind-blowing for me but also any of you that know him)".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered condolences to Negus' family, in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday.
"George Negus was a giant of Australian journalism," the PM said.
"His courage, curiosity and integrity gave millions of Australians a sense of the big issues on 60 Minutes, and a window to the world through Foreign Correspondent.
"George sought and served the truth with steely determination and a twinkle in his eye, and along the way, he made even the smallest TV screen feel that much bigger."
Former colleagues and members of the media industry have paid tribute to Negus on social media.
"Vale George Negus. A great colleague, mentor and fun person to be around, always armed with yarns to spin. George set so many standards as a journalist - that live on today," journalist Peter Ryan
"A first-rate journalist and a truly wonderful human being. Farewell George Negus. It was such a pleasure to have known you," writer and activist .
"He was an extraordinary character, an extraordinary journalist, and what you saw on television is what he was," Ray Martin told ABC News 24.
"There was nothing fake about George."
Martin described his longtime friend as an extraordinary, larger than life character who deserved all the fame that came his way.
"He was a very good journalist, very ethical and a very good storyteller, but an even better bloke," he said.
With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press.
