Walter Cronkite's Family: "He Is Not Expected to Recuperate"

Source: E! Online

Television's most famous news anchor is seriously ill.

Walter Cronkite, once considered the most trusted man in America, is suffering from cerebrovascular disease "and is not expected to recuperate," his family said in a statement.

The family said it was forced to speak out "to dispel false rumors." Last week news reports stated the 92-year-old former CBS News stalwart was in gave condition. Cerebrovascular disease affects the blood vessels in the brain, according to WebMD, and is often caused by high blood pressure.

"He is resting comfortably at home with family, friends and a wonderful medical team. We thank you for your prayers and good wishes.". . .

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b131537_walter_cronkites_family_he_not_expected.html

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The blessed Old Guy has hung in there longer than we might have expected here on DU, given the posts last week, but that is how he has lived his life, and given back to us. Tough old bird, and God bless him for it.

If your quality of life is not there, Uncle Walter, give it up. We will drink numerous toasts to you.

Damn. Us Boomers are taking hit after hit now, almost every day.

"when you get to be my age, every week you see someone you grew up with in the obituary column"

He's a part of history, and in his later years worked to protect freedom of the press.

I suspect he will for 99.9% of posters.

But there will probably be one Marxist asshole who will piss on his grave with a bunch of his/her deconstructivist bullshit about why Cronkite was a horrible, evil man.

Just watch, some jackass will come in and spoil the mourning.

I certainly hope so.

Tough, tough week.

express his or her opinion, even if it's different from yours. I just don't get posts like this.

________ (fill in the blank)

I know what you mean, of course. But using the word "Marxist" is a giveaway.

:eyes:

Do you think everyone on this site is a registered Democrat with standard Democratic Party political views?

I'm not (I'm not an American, and we don't actively register with political parties here), and I lean socialist. Were I referred to as such it wouldn't be a comment directed at Democrats at all. This site's tent is bigger than you seem to be aware of.

A few people came here to express a kind word about a good man - this isn't about you. Preemptive whining comes off as calculated attention-seeking.

seen so much ignorance in one place.

Every time someone of significance dies there's a big chunk of people who need to explain why we should either cheer or be indifferent.

Little really surprises me anymore after the dumbasses the other day decrying the idea of volunteering for anything as playing to the ebil corporations.

It's going to be an interesting time.

Oh, and Walter Cronkite was one of the best we've ever had - it's going to be a sad day when he passes :(

when he came out against Johnson's Vietnam policy in 1968. The right never forgave him for speaking truth on the war they made JFK and LBJ feel obligated to carry out.

NOW WE HAVE ONLY ACTORS ON THE NEWS... I MEAN MEDIA

I hope you aren't a closet Scoop Jackson-type on this.

him in media again! None of the people in the nedia today have the b's he did!

Talk about rough week!! I feel so sad for Mr. Cronkite as he was another figure of my very early years. I hope he will be OK but if God decides to allow him to enter the Kingdom of Heaven at the young age of 92, he is well deserved to be up there!!!

I will pray for him and his family!!

No, it's not Walter. But I think it SAYS Walter, and from 1977, when he was at a height.

I think this would be my tribute to him, and I bet he would like it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9FAV3zr1PMk

at least people can give that superstitious "Celebrities die in threes" shit a rest.

Not a celebrity.

On edit: I do agree with you about dispelling the "bad news comes in three" superstitious crap.

He was always old in my lifetime, yet I sensed his commitment, honesty, and he defined gravitas.

Goodbye Walter, I'm so happy mom didn't run over you.
:cry:

One of the greatest journalist of all time.:(

This is not completely unexpected. I knew he had to be well into his 90s and had lived a rich and full life but still his silence will be felt. He never used vitriolic words when confronting a sensitive topic. He was the soft spoken voice of reason for many of us boomers.

I will shed tears upon his passing as he is and was one of the very best of America and this world.

He's from a time when a journalist knew what the job was, and it wasn't entertainment or being a fanboy of the political machine. Rupert Murdoch wouldn't hire him today.

Walter, when you anchored, I believed what you said.

"Journalists" of today, seldom.

Rupert Murdoch would not only not hire Walter, he probably wouldn't even speak to or of him given that Cronkite stood for integrity in journalism which if enforced would put Rupert out of business.
His will indeed be a significant voice silenced when he finally shuffles off this mortal, etc. My youth is pretty much defined by his broadcasts of the space program, and my young manhood by his coverage of the war I was fighting in and abhorred.
Most unfortunately I don't think we ought to expect his like to pass this way again.The wingnuts will undoubtedly see this as a reason to celebrate.

He has too much integrity.

You said it. And to use another phrase coined by a man a lot smarter than me, "And that's the way it is."

i doubt we`ll see as many posts and replies about walter as there is about jackson.


of course i maybe wrong....

... over celebrity deaths!!!" There's turmoil in Iran. There's an energy bill in flux. We need health care and good insurance for all. North Korea is knocking at the door.

And the big headline on CNN is "Michael Jackson's body taken to morturary."

As Michael Jackson would have sung about the MSM: "... they don't really care about us."

Walter was our (TV) dinner guest every weeknight for years. For our family, he was the only newscaster who mattered. His honest, direct, caring delivery brought the news of the world (sad though it was) into our homes and made it matter to us.

May you pass on knowing you made a difference in many, many lives, Mr. Cronkite.

Happy trails.

-JB

When it is time to go, go in peace. May your family be comforted by the fact you are loved the world over and will be missed.

radio "personalities."


If you must leave us, please pass peacefully and gloriously.

and reporting are about.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family
at this difficult time.

:(

Enough time for the hysteria over the deaths of lesser individuals to taper off. Nothing should interfere with the honors due this singular figure......

He'd take you back to some historical event as if you were right there and he was reporting on it.

Here's some info at Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_There_(TV_Series)

Thanks for everything, Walt.

television memory. He was reporting on the trial and execution of Joan of Arc. I had never seen a television and did not know the story. The adults, playing bridge, stuck me in the sun room, in front of the electronic baby sitter, - yes even then - the story scared the crap out of me. I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4.

Cronk was in a row boat reporting from the lake. But I can't remember how old I was. Not little enough to be afraid, though. But Joan of Arc - yipes! I can see why you freaked. Even today I don't like to watch movies or documentaries about her because of the burning.

http://www.tv.com/show/5397/summary.html

(and one moderate) stroke(s). Sigh. It's a sad, slow, lingering way to fade away.......

My dear aunt has this too. It is very sad. :hug:

It's so sad to watch an intelligent person slip away like that.

She was 79 then, and I visited over the Fourth of July. She was clearly not right, with a faraway look in her eyes.

She rallied, then faded. First we put her in assisted living (which is not bad at all), then a nursing home, then finally one night in September 2003, she left us. Wonderful woman. I shall always be grateful to her. And a person of achievement, I might add: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9679079

Reading that makes me wish I had known her!

When the time comes, may his transition be peaceful and pain free.

Such sad times we live in, so many people suffering, so many people out of work, so much death.

:(

and, dare I say it, Helen Thomas are gone. We must hold tight to their memories and live their principles or our already battered democracy will be just another dead fad gone the way of pole sitting, pet rocks, and pogs. And sadly...that's the way it is. God help us.

A remarkable man.

:grouphug:

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism is preparing the next generation of journalists. He will live on through their accomplishments in the field.
http://cronkite.asu.edu/about/welcome.php

Peace to Walter and his family.

I'm thinking of his broadcast about JFK's death, his broadcasts about Viet Nam and LBJ's quote: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America.".

One of the last true journalists. I will never forget him reporting President Kennedy's death, and the moon landings.

Remember every moment like it was yesterday, and yes, when I say I "saw all else" I saw Ruby kill Oswald. Live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8Q3cqGs7I

of Michael Jackson.? Nothing against MJ, but damn cover the news already!!!

After all, Walter was a part of Everyone's lives. I remember him reporting on Vietnam and Nixon's resignation when I was little. Back BC (before cable) he was in everyone's living room.

Michael Jackson had a great influence on culture, fashion, music-- but he wasn't the only voice out there and the sun was setting on his popularity back in the 90's. He just got too weird in a creepy freaky way, and his family didn't help much (they increased the weird factor-- remember the younger sister with that snake?, Janet even-- the obsession with her physicality --multiple surgeries etc.) Too much money and too much navel gazing in that family--I think they just didn't know how to handle it.

In contrast, Walter Cronkite framed the events of our time, week after week. He was solid, stable, dependable and had integrity. Something missing from our television journalists today.

David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and now it looks like Walter Cronkite won't be with us much longer. All within a few weeks.