Ed Bradley

Edward Rudolph Bradley Jr. was one of the most respected journalists in American television history — a 60 Minutes correspondent for 26 years whose reporting combined investigative rigor with a cool, understated style that let the stories speak for themselves. He won 19 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Born in Philadelphia in 1941, Bradley attended Cheyney University and began his journalism career in radio before CBS hired him in 1971. He covered the fall of Saigon from the field — one of the last American journalists in Cambodia — and was wounded by mortar fire in 1973. The experience shaped his understanding that great journalism requires physical and moral courage.

Bradley joined 60 Minutes in 1981 and became one of the most prolific correspondents in the show's history. His interview subjects ranged from Lena Horne to Timothy McVeigh, from Michael Jordan to Bob Dylan. He was known for his distinctive style — the diamond earring, the jazz-influenced cool — and for an interview technique that used silence as effectively as questions. He joined the ancestors on November 9, 2006, at 65. Mike Wallace called him "the best reporter who ever worked on 60 Minutes."