Andy Rooney Departing From 60 Minutes

This Sunday's broadcast of 60 Minutes will be Andy Rooney's last. Rooney, 92, who has been featured on the news magazine show since 1978, will make the announcement in his regular essay at the end of the program.

CBS News chairman Jeff Fager lauded Rooney for his thought-provoking contributions over the years. "There's nobody like Andy and there never will be. He'll hate hearing this, but he's an American original," Fager told CBS News. "His contributions to 60 Minutes are immeasurable; he's also a great friend. It's harder for him to do it every week, but he will always have the ability to speak his mind on 60 Minutes when the urge hits him."

Rooney's epic stint on 60 Minutes began in July 1978, when he gave an essay about the reporting of automobile fatalities on the Independence Day weekend. Later that year he became a regular, and after a brief period of sharing the slot with James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander, it was all his in the fall of 1979. Rooney's first full season as the 60 Minutes commentator made it the number one program for the first time.

Rooney's 1097th original essay for 60 Minutes will follow a segment in which he reflects on his 31-year gig in an interview with Morley Safer.