GIL NOBLE – LEGENDARY NEW YORK JOURNALIST AND HOST OF “LIKE IT IS” DIES AT 80!

NEW YORK (WABC) — New York broadcasting legend Gil Noble, producer and host of WABC-TV’s groundbreaking public affairs program “Like It Is,” passed away peacefully after a long illness.

Born in Harlem on February 22, 1932, Noble spent his life serving the community he loved. He was recognized locally and nationally as a dedicated journalist whose work brought attention to the African-American struggle for advancement. “Gil Noble’s life and work had a profound effect on our society and culture,” said WABC-TV President and General Manager Dave Davis. “His contributions are a part of history and will be remembered for years to come. Today, our hearts are with Gil’s family  his wife Jean and their five children  and we thank them for so lovingly sharing him with the world all these years.”

Noble, whose career in television news and programming spanned over five decades, joined WABC-TV as a reporter in July 1967, and was named anchor of the station’s Saturday and Sunday night newscasts in January 1968. Later that year he became host of Like It Is. Debuting amid the nation’s racial turmoil in the 1960s, Like It Is created the largest body of programs and documentaries on African-Americans in the country. Noble dedicated long hours of research and investigation to ensure a consistently high quality for the program. He often said he learned as much doing the show as his viewers did watching it. Noble felt it was his mission to reunite African-Americans with the untold stories of their history, and he believed Like It Is offered a rare opportunity for viewers of all races to look at events through an African-American perspective.

Throughout his career, Noble interviewed many national and international luminaries, including heads of state President Nelson Mandela of South Africa and President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; entertainment icons Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne; sports stars Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe; and political notables from Jesse Jackson to Louis Farrakhan.

Noble also created documentaries on W. E. B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Charlie Parker, among many other notables. In 1977, he wrote, produced and directed the first documentary on Paul Robeson entitled The Tallest Tree in Our Forest.

Noble’s great love for the piano fueled a passion for jazz, which he considered the root of American music. He was an avid supporter of The Jazz Foundation of America and served on its Board of Directors.

Noble was the recipient of more than 650 community awards, numerous industry awards including seven Emmys, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, and five honorary doctorates.

Sadly, Noble’s acclaimed career came to an end in July 2011 after he suffered a devastating stroke.

The family will announce plans for a funeral service when arrangements are confirmed. They ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Gil Noble Archives, P.O. Box 43138, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043. Proceeds will be used to preserve the archives so that Noble’s mission of educating the community about its culture and history will continue.

Below is a more comprehensive list of notable interviews and documentaries from Gil Noble’s illustrious career:

Heads of State:

Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Sekou Toure (Guinea), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Michael Manley and P.J. Patterson (Jamaica), Maurice Bishop (Grenada), Sam Nujoma (Namibia), Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia), and Thomas Sankara (Burkina-Faso).

Entertainment:

Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Erroll Garner, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Carmen McRae, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Sidney Poitier, Nipsey Russell, Lena Horne, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Marley, Milt Jackson and Jackie McLean.

Sports:

Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Arthur Ashe, and Jim Brown.

Politics/Leaders:

Jesse Jackson, David Dinkins, Harold Washington, Louis Farrakhan, Andrew Young, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Bruce Wright.

Documentaries:

W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Paul Robeson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Jack Johnson, Charlie Parker, Decade of Struggle, Essay on Drugs. CLICK HERE TO SEE NOTABLE DEATHS FROM 2012

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