Photo: Screenshot/Fox News
Rest in peace, Wendell Goler.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Mar 05, 2020
In his tenure at the Fox News Channel, Wendell Goler earned the respect of his co-workers and colleagues alike, no matter which side of "the aisle" they sat on. He was best known for covering stories fairly and objectively, and presided over some of the most important political stories of the late 1990s and early aughts.
Yet today, it was announced he'd passed away at the age of 70.
So, how did Wendell Goler die? Let's look at what we know about this tragic announcement.
1. How did Wendell Goler die? Initial reports suggest he died of kidney failure, but this has not yet been officially confirmed by his family.
Goler is credited for reporting on the United States government since the Reagan era — though not, exclusively, for Fox News — and initial reports suggested that he died at the age of 70 from apparent kidney failure. While Goler's former Fox News colleague, Brit Hume, suggested that Goler died of kidney failure in a tweet, this report has not officially been confirmed by Goler's family.
2. Goler started at Fox News in 1996.
When Fox News first went on the air in 1996, Goler was one of the reporters. Considered a "Fox News original," Goler started out as a general correspondent before working his way up to being the White House correspondent for the then-fledgling network.
3. He covered both the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush's post-9/11 initiatives.
There are two stories, in particular, that are considered definitive in Goler's tenure at Fox News. The first story was the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, and he did so in such a way that his network was extolled for its exemplary reporting. The second story was the extensive coverage of President George W. Bush's post-9/11 initiatives, which were considered to be the most comprehensive stories of its time.
4. Goler was the White House correspondent at the Associated Press before he joined Fox News.
Prior to his work at Fox News, Goler was the White House correspondent at the Associated Press. Before he joined AP, however, the Michigan native was prominently seen on several Washington, DC area television stations, WJLA-TV and WRC-TV. He was also the "drive-home" anchor for the DC-area AM station WRC.
5. He retired in 2014.
When he retired in 2014, Goler was honored by the National Association for Black Journalists (NABJ) for his outstanding work at Fox News. "We salute Wendell for his amazing body of work as a political correspondent covering complex issues and personalities of national and international significance. It is a testament to his career the type of praise that came in the wake of the announcement of his retirement," said NABJ President Bob Butler in a statement. "There must be more effort paid to diversify the White House press corps, the Congressional press corps, and Washington bureaus of television, radio, print, and online newsrooms."
6. Tributes to Goler poured in from all over the broadcast journalism community.
While Brit Hume of Fox News was one of the first to comment on Goler's passing, there were several other broadcast journalists who paid tribute to him, as well. Bret Baier of Fox News called him a "consummate pro and a real gentleman." Jeffrey Ballou of Al-Jazeera sent condolences to the Goler family, including Goler's wife, Marge. And Kelly O'Donnell of NBC News paid tribute to him in a tweet you can see below.
Our thoughts are with Wendell Goler's family and friends during this difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.