Tom Jarriel, a legendary national TV journalist, died on Thursday, according to The New York Times and ABC News. The longtime 20/20 contributor died from stroke complications. He was 89.
Jarriel, who won 19 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, died while in the care of an undisclosed nursing home in Annapolis, Maryland. The journalist suffered a stroke sometime in 2023; his son Steve confirmed that complications from that medical incident caused his death.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The ABC News correspondent was a fixture of the network’s broadcasts from the ’60s to the 2000s. Often seen on 20/20, the broadcast news legend covered numerous high-profile stories, including the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, sexual assault in the military, elder abuse in nursing homes and the infamous murder of civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo carried out by Ku Klux Klansmen.
Jarriel is survived by his wife Joan, three sons (Steve, Michael and Jeffrey), seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Most Viewed
-
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) -
ALL IN THE FAMILY. Rob Reiner as Mike Stivic and Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic. Image dated 1979. Copyright ©1979 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Credit: CBS Photo Archive. -
Netflix logo (Credit: Netflix) -
L-R: Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim 'JD' Dempsey, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey, Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper and William McInnes as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose in NCIS: Sydney episode 9, season 3 streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+ -
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 15: Rob Reiner and Michele Singer attend the Broadway Opening Night Performance of 'Misery' at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 15, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Walter McBride/WireImage) -
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Tuesday, June 10 included Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes ("SmartLess"), Bella Ramsey ("The Last of Us"), and musical guest HARDY. (Disney/Randy Holmes) SEAN HAYES, JASON BATEMAN, WILL ARNETT (Photo by Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
