Mike Wallace Of '60 Minutes' Dies At 93

Reporter and longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace died at the age of 93 in a New Canaan, Connecticut care center after battling a long illness. Wallace was surrounded by family members at the time of his death.

Wallace will be remembered as a pioneer in broadcast reporting and a trailblazer of the "tough interview" style. "It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence," said CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves. "His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS."

Wallace joined 60 Minutes at its 1968 inception and helmed the broadcast journalism program until retirement in 2006, at the age of 88. However, Wallace continued to do occasional interviews for 60 Minutes until 2008. He won his 21st Emmy for his interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the age of 89.

"There will never be another one quite like him," said longtime colleague Morley Safer, who paid tribute to Wallace along with Bob Scheiffer on Sunday morning's Face the Nation.

"Around CBS he was the same infectious, funny and ferocious person as he was on TV," said 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager of Wallace. "We loved him and we will miss him very much."

CBS will air a special episode of 60 Minutes honoring Wallace on Sunday, April 15.

Watch Safer's tribute to Wallace here: