What to Know
- Pulitzer Prize-winning New York journalist Les Payne died unexpectedly Monday night at his home in Harlem at the age of 76
- Payne worked at Newsday for nearly four decades before retiring in 2006, rising from reporter to associate managing editor
- He was a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a Vietnam War veteran
Longtime New York journalist Les Payne, whose career took him from the poppy fields of Turkey to the Soweto uprising in South Africa to the streets of American cities, has died. He was 76.
Payne's family confirmed his death to News 4, where he has appeared in numerous interviews. He worked for nearly four decades at Newsday, rising through the ranks from reporter to associate managing editor. The newspaper reported Tuesday that Payne died unexpectedly Monday night at his home in Harlem.
Payne oversaw foreign and national coverage for Newsday, was an editor of New York Newsday and wrote a column. He retired in 2006.
He was also a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
"Founder Payne's bold words and writings showed us why it's important to be a present black journalist in the newsroom every day. He was a quiet, courageous and loving leader. His legacy lives on in us," said current NABJ President Sarah Glover, who is also the social media editor for NBC-owned stations.
"He appreciated the people who appreciated him: the readers," his wife, Violet, said Tuesday.
Local
Payne was part of a Newsday reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974 for a 33-part series titled "The Heroin Trail."
Payne was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and educated at the University of Connecticut. He's survived by wife Violet and children Tamara, Jamal and Haile.
