CBS News Favorite Dies After Being in ‘Ill Health’: Mark Knoller Was 73

One of journalism’s most famous faces has died.

Mark Knoller, longtime CBS News correspondent, died at 73 today in Washington, DC. His cause of death has not been released, although Knoller was diabetic and consequently in poor health in his old age.

As the official release from CBS puts it, Knoller was “to put it simply, a legend.” A journalism icon, Knoller was frustrated early on in his career over the lack of a database compiling the president’s daily actions.

So, to solve the issue, he took on the job himself. Every “presidential act, movement, and utterance” of the last eight presidents was chronicled by Knoller in database that he kept free and open because he believed in the American public’s right to information.

“I keep a daily log of everything the president does. I keep a list of speeches. I keep a list of travel – foreign travel, domestic travel. A list of outings. A list of golf. A list of pardons, vetoes, states that he’s visited, states that he hasn’t visited. Every time he goes on vacation, every visit to Camp David,” he once said.

In his last decade of work at CBS, he lost his ability to speak, rendering it impossible to do his job. Knoller then turned to the digital world and became one of the most prominent posters on a just-created Twitter, and posted White House factoids and interviews several times a day.

CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell honored the life of her former colleague in a statement.

“Mark Knoller was simply the best, a legendary White House journalist who was a delight to be around,” she said. “His work was his life. He was kind, funny and always gracious in sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the presidency. His CBS family adored him, and we will miss our friend.”