A familiar face to generations of Southern California news viewers, veteran anchor Harold Greene, has died.
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"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Harold passed away last night," his daughter, Courtney Greene, wrote on
Facebook on Nov. 4. "My mom and I were by his side, and there was an extraordinary amount of love in the room.""We have a feeling he's already settling into the great newsroom in the sky. No doubt, with a few suggestions on how things should be run. He was so very loved, and we know he will be missed by many," she added.
During his storied news anchor career in Los Angeles, Greene worked for ABC7 Eyewitness News, KCAL 9 News, and CBS 2 News, according to Deadline. He cut his teeth in broadcasting back in 1970 as a producer and reporter for ABC7. He later had news jobs in San Diego and San Francisco before returning to ABC7 in 1982, per the Los Angeles station.
Before retiring in 2008, Greene also worked at KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV.
Harold Greene was Rumored to Have Inspired a Famous Fictional News Anchor
During his career, Greene was met with a slew of honors. These included 10 Golden Mike awards, the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Award, two Emmys, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, and twelve L.A. Press Club Awards. Greene even managed to earn one of the Los Angeles area's biggest celebrity honors: his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Deadline also pointed out something of an urban legend attributed to the veteran news anchor. During Greene's tenure as an anchor in San Francisco, he reportedly sported a robust moustache, and his look during the early 80s reportedly mirrored that of a future comedy icon. Indeed, many have speculated that Greene was a direct influence on Will Ferrell's titular character in 2004's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and its sequel, 2013's Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
However, according to Deadline, Ferrell himself played down the urban legend.
Meanwhile, no further details were shared regarding Greene's passing. However, his family did write that they planned to hold a memorial service over the holidays.
Harold Greene was 82.
