Veteran '60 Minutes' newsman Morley Safer dies at 84

NEW YORK -- Morley Safer, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who was equally at home reporting on social injustices, the Orient Express and abstract art, and who exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans' view of the war, died Thursday, according to Kevin Tedesco, a CBS News publicist.
No further details on his death were immediately available.
Safer, who once claimed "there is no such thing as the common man; if there were, there would be no need for journalists," was 84. "60 Minutes" aired a tribute to Safer on Sunday after he announced his retirement last week.
"This is a very sad day for all of us at 60 Minutes and CBS News. Morley was a fixture, one of our pillars, and an inspiration in many ways. He was a master storyteller, a gentleman and a wonderful friend. We will miss him very much," said Jeff Fager, the executive producer of "60 Minutes."