Jim Lehrer of 'MacNeil-Lehrer Report' Dead at 85 On Thursday, PBS announced that the veteran broadcast journalist died "peacefully in his sleep." Lehrer began as the Washington correspondent for the news program in 1975.
He became the sole host in 1995.
Beginning in 1988, Lehrer was a frequent presidential debate moderator.
Drawing upon his "30 years in the news business," he was also a successful fiction writer and screenwriter.
Bret Baier of Fox News called Lehrer “an inspiration to a whole generation of political journalists — including this one.” CNN's Jake Tapper called Lehrer “a wonderful man and a superb journalist.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also responded to the news, saying Lehrer was a “champion for truth and transparency.” Lehrer had a heart attack in the early 1980s.
He underwent heart valve surgery in 2008.