Cronkite Dies

Jillian Bandes | July 17, 2009 8:44 PM

He was 92. Famous for his soothing tone under fire, he held the anchor desk at CBS for 19 years and instilled himself as a voice of reason in America's living rooms. He covered so many news items of importance that it's hard to think of what major event happened in the 60's and 70's that wasn't graced with his voice. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of JFK and MLK, the Vietnam War, the Apollo Moon Landing, and Watergate all seemed almost...okay... with his sincere explanation and grandfatherly demeanor. Cronkite died of cerebrovascular disease in his NYC home, surrounded by family.

Media critic Andrew Tyndall told USA Today that Cronkite was "the personification of an era."