Rest In Peace!!! Veteran Journalist of ABC Mark Colvin Dies at the Age of 65
How did Mark Colvin die?
Veteran journalist and ABC broadcaster Mark Colvin died in Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney on Thursday morning May 11, 2017.
His death came after he had been struggling for more than 20 years from a rare auto-immune disease he had contracted during an assignment he had in Rwanda.
Mark Colvin’s family has shared with his fans and viewers that his last wish was to remain private and spend the last weeks of his life with his sons Will and Nicholas. The aggrieved family requested to leave the family to mourn in private.
“Today we lost our beloved Mark. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at the Prince of Wales hospital, as well as the community, the ABC, his friends and colleagues, who have stood by him and supported his career and life. At this moment of grief, we request the family be left to mourn in private. “
Moreover, the family shared Mark’s wish stating,
“Mark has asked that donations to the Prince of Wales Hospital Trust be made, in place of flowers.”
Mark suffered from osteoporosis and Wegner’s granulomatosis, which finally led to his kidney failure. Sharing his old condition back in 2011, Mark said,
“Put it this way: it’s pretty unlikely I am going to live to a ripe old age,”
Consolation by family and friends
In 2012, Mark had a kidney transplant operation from donor Mary-Ellen Field, and after Mark’s death, Mary-Ellen Field, the former business adviser of supermodel Elle Macpherson tweeted,
Colvin spent four decades of his career in ABC where he worked as a reporter, and foreign correspondent and also presented ABC Radio’s current affairs program PM for 20 years. On the demise of Mark, ABC News Director Graven Morris divulged,
“Mark was one of Australia’s finest journalists. He leaves an unfillable void as a journalist, a colleague and a friend. He was an important part of the ABC community as a mentor and teacher to young reporters and as a voice of wisdom and experience to many older ones. Our reporters and producers felt strengthened by his presence in the newsroom and emboldened by the sound of his voice on our airwaves.”
Moreover, Michelle Guthrie, the managing director of ABC expressed,
“For many Australians, Mark’s steady and measured voice as host of PM brought them the essential news of the day and kept them informed about events of national and international importance.We will miss him enormously, and extend our thoughts to his family and friends.”
On the demise of the widely admired journalist, Mark Colvin, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Labor leader Bill Shorten, and Greens leader Richard Di Natale paid their tributes through Twitter.
Mark Colvin’s journalism was elegant and erudite. In a world of superficiality, he was always informed and honest. We’ve lost a good man.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) May 11, 2017
Awful news. Vale Mark Colvin. A gentleman of journalism.
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 11, 2017
Vale Mark Colvin. A fascinating life ended far too soon. You will be missed.
— Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) May 11, 2017
Short Bio on Mark Colvin
Mark Colvin (13 March 1952 – 11 May 2017) was an Australian journalist and broadcaster. Based in Sydney, he was the presenter of PM—one of the flagship Australian radio current affairs programs on the ABC Radio Network—from 1997 to 2017. Colvin graduated from Oxford University with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and arrived in Australia in 1974.
He began employment in January 1975 at ABC’s rock music station Double Jay (2JJ, now known as Triple J) as one of the foundation staff, initially working as a cadet journalist. Having strong foreign language skills in French, Italian, and Spanish, he was posted to the Canberra bureau and appointed as a television news producer.
A year later, he was one of the first reporters on Nationwide, along with Jenny Brockie, Paul Murphy, and Andrew Olle.
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