Andy Rooney

He married Marguerite "Margie" Howard in 1942. The couple had a loving marriage that produced four children and lasted for 62 years till Margie’s death in 2004. Two of his children are also journalists.

He led an active lifestyle till the very end of his life, still making his famous appearances on ’60 Minutes’. He died of some postoperative complications in November 2011 at the age of 92.

He was born as the son of Walter Scott Rooney and Ellinor Reynolds Rooney. He went to the Albany Academy, an independent college-preparatory day school before enrolling at the Colgate University in New York.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941 to serve during the World War II. His journalistic career began when he joined the military newspaper ‘Stars and Stripes’ in 1942.

He was flying with the Eighth Air Force in 1943 when he was selected as one of the correspondents to cover the second American bombing raid over Germany. He later became one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps and write about them.

His experience in the war affected him deeply; he was a pacifist at heart and his exposure to wide spread destruction and death changed his views about life and wars. The experience also molded him as a writer and a journalist.

His first book, ‘Air Gunner’ which he had co-authored with Oram C Hutton was published in January 1944. The book which told of his dramatic, often horrific experiences in the war, became a bestseller.

After the war, he started working as a freelancer. He bagged the position of a writer for the CBS show, ‘Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts’ in 1949. At that time Godfrey was a highly successful personality on radio and television. His acquaintance and later friendship helped Rooney cement his career.

He is best known for the segment ‘A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney’, a weekly broadcast that was part of the program ’60 Minutes’. He appeared on the show from 1978 to 2011 concluding it with a humorous commentary on topics ranging from international politics to personal philosophies. He gave 1,097 commentaries on the program over his 34 year long tenure with them.