Andy Rooney: Our 'Lovably Cantankerous Commentator'

'60 Minutes' correspondent 'loved being Mike Wallace'

(NEWSER) - Appreciations are pouring in for legendary CBS news correspondent Mike Wallace, who died today at age 93 . Not only did he pioneer the modern news interview, he "loved being Mike Wallace"—but was haunted by his role in the accidental death of his teenage son Peter:

• In an interview, Wallace recalled taking Peter hiking near the Gulf of Corinth in 1962. Looking over a cliff, Wallace suddenly saw Peter lying dead below. "That’s when his eyes started to well a bit, which I’m counting as crying, because I know that Mike Wallace will be remembered mostly as the granite-nosed, zero-nonsense, “Give me a break!” tough guy, and by his signature emotion, outrage," writes Todd Richissin on MarionPatch .

Michael Scott Moore was considering writing a book about Somali pirates

(NEWSER) - Somali gunmen have kidnapped noted travel and surfing writer Michael Scott Moore, and are demanding an unknown ransom for his release. Moore, a Manhattan Beach native currently living in Berlin, holds both US and German citizenship. He was in Somalia because he was considering writing a book about Somali pirates, according to KTLA . He was taken Saturday, just days before a US raid freed two other Somali captives . More»

60 Minutes commentator delivered final essay last month

(AP) - Andy Rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator who spent more than 30 years wryly talking about the oddities of life for 60 Minutes, died last night at age 92. Just a month ago, Rooney delivered his last regular essay on the CBS newsmagazine. The network said he died in New York from complications from a recent surgery. Rooney began his 60 Minutes commentaries in 1978 (see his first one in the gallery at left) and was still at it three decades later. (CBS has a best-of-collection on its site.) More»

Former '60 Minutes' host in serious condition after surgery

(AP) - Andy Rooney, who delivered his last essay on "60 Minutes" 3 weeks ago, was in the hospital today after developing serious complications following minor surgery. CBS said the 92-year-old writer's condition was stable and, at the request of his family, offered no other information about his medical problems or where he was hospitalized. More»

Rooney finishes '60 Minutes' career with thanks ... mostly

(NEWSER) - Andy Rooney delivered his 1,097th and final 60 Minutes essay last night, ending a 33-year relationship with the TV newsmagazine. "Not many people in this world have been as lucky as I've been," he said. "I've done a lot of complaining here, but of all the things I've complained about, I can't complain about my life." In his farewell piece, he noted that "I probably haven't said anything here that you didn't already know or have already thought. That's what a writer does. A writer's job is to tell the truth." More»