George Negus, celebrated for his engaging and insightful reporting style, established himself as a prominent current affairs journalist. Today, however, the former media personality confronts a vastly different reality as he navigates the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.
Negus’ devastating diagnosis emerged in 2022 when his family disclosed that the former 60 Minutes reporter had been living with the condition and residing in an aged care facility.
Now the legendary media personality’s son, Ned Negus, has offered a heartbreaking update on his father’s condition, revealing that he is now “non verbal most of the time”.
“I was hesitant to post this on LinkedIn, as it’s pretty personal,” he wrote in a Father’s Day tribute posted to Linkedin.
“But, then realised you’re all humans and there’s always a place for sharing human realities with your professional network.
“For those of you who don’t know, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around five years ago. He’s now non verbal most of the time (mindblowing 🤯 for me but also any of you that know him).
“Today is Father’s Day in Australia and we had a walk on the beach together. He was clearly not sure why this particular walk was symbolic and sometimes not sure with whom he was walking. At one point we stopped, he smiled broadly and then hugged me for quite some time.
“It was sad, but it was uplifting to know that even when you can no longer say what you feel, you can still DO what you feel. Love you Negsy. P.s. My mum took this photo and is by his side most days helping him through, helping him remember (even the slightest thing) and feel. Massive shout out to her too.”
Fans of the beloved reporter quickly expressed their gratitude to Ned for providing an update on their favourite media personality while offering messages of support.
“Thank you so much for sharing. I always enjoyed watching and listening to you Dad. He seems a wonderful person and so lovely to have such a caring and thoughtful family. Sending love and hugs,” one wrote.
“What a lovely photo! Thank you for sharing, Ned.”
“My mother is on the same journey. Thinking of you. Thank you for sharing. Thus cracks a noble spirit. We owe him so much,” commented another.
“It’s tough Ned I know, my dad had it also. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it’s hard to explain all the feelings but I know what you’re going through. All Dads are great, but yours was definitely one of the better ones and you’ll always have that.”
Before making his mark in journalism, Negus was a high school teacher. He began writing for The Australian and The Australian Financial Review before transitioning to television journalism as a reporter on ABC’s This Day Tonight and later on 60 Minutes.
Negus was renowned for his ability to make complex international and political issues accessible through his down-to-earth, conversational style.
His unique talents earned him hosting roles on ABC’s Foreign Correspondent and SBS’s Dateline. He was honoured with a Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism and later presented 6.30 with George Negus on Network Ten.