Jim Hartz Cause of Death Tragic: Former ‘Today’ Show Host Dead at 82
Jim Hartz, popularly known for being Barbara Walters' co-host of the "Today" show in the mid-70s, has passed away at the age of 82 in Fairfax County, Virginia; what was his cause of death?
His wife, Alexandra Dickson Hartz, confirmed the tragic news, saying the famed TV presenter died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
According to Deadline, Hartz joined the morning show in the mid-70s when he was 34 years old. He succeeded Frank McGee, who passed away at the time.
Prior to getting the honor to host the show with Walters, he was a reporter for WNBC, covering local stories.
Some of his most notable reports on the morning show were former President Richard M. Nixon's resignation, the American Bicentennial, and the end of the Vietnam War.
The TV personality spent his early days in Tusla, Oklahoma. He was born on February 3, 1940.
He grew up in a very religious family as his father, Rev. Marvin Dillard Hartz, was an Assembly of God Minister.
After studying college, KOTV hired him in Tusla and hosted "Sun Up," a show by the channel typically aired in the morning.
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His success went on as he got promoted to the news director, then later tapped by NBC in New York City.
Starting with his extensive career in the Big Apple, Hartz began by being an anchor of the evening newscasts on WNBC.
By 1974, he became Barbara Walters' co-host for the "Today" show. Their tandem didn't last as the TV presenter left to become ABC's evening news co-anchor.
Jane Pauley replaced Walters on the show, but she had a "low-key" hosting style.
In 1976, he moved to WRC to become a news anchor and later worked for PBS to co-host a celebrity talk show with Mary Martin titled "Over Easy."
He also became a part of a weekly science show called "Innovation."
In the latter part of his career, the TV presenter hosted "Asia Now" for PBS. He later became the chairman of the Will Rogers Memorial Commission in the early 1990s.
He was survived by his wife, Alexandra Dickson, daughters Nancy Hartz Cole and Jana Hartz Maher, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
His son, John Mitchell Hartz, passed away in 2015.
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