INSIDE EDITION spoke to Bob Simon’s 60 Minutes colleagues about the TV news legend’s shocking death in a car accident.
Bob Simon’s devastated colleagues at 60 Minutes are struggling to cope with their grief after the veteran correspondent's shocking death.
He was killed in a horrific car crash in New York City.
INSIDE EDITION’s Les Trent spoke to Lesley Stahl and Steve Kroft at the 60 Minutes offices they shared with Simon.
Stahl said, “Huge, huge, huge loss.”
Kroft echoed, “He was a great colleague, just a fantastic colleague here. A real mensch as someone said earlier today. A great guy, unselfish, modest.”
Bill Whitaker also spoke about his grief, saying, "It was clear that everybody's in pain."
Simon was heading Downtown on Manhattan's West Side Highway when his Town Car reportedly started swerving and hit a Mercedes. It then rammed into a central divider. There is also a report that Simon’s driver may have had a heart attack, although it's not clear if it happened before or after the accident.
Police say Simon was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
CBS Evening News host Scott Pelley was close to tears when he broke in to prime-time programming to announce the tragic news.
Pelley said on the air, "We have some sad news tonight from within our CBS News family."
Pelley later expressed to Trent, “All the time through it, I was thinking two things. One, I can't believe I’m saying this. Two, I have to get through this. I have to get through this.”
Just last Sunday, Simon appeared on 60 Minutes with a story about Selma director Ava DuVernay.
DuVernay tweeted Wednesday: "Stunned. May God rest his soul."
Bob Simon’s last piece for 60 Minutes, airing Sunday, is a segment about Ebola produced by his daughter, Tanya, who worked alongside her dad as a 60 Minutes producer.
Pelley said to Trent, "Even the great Bob Simon could not write a better ending than that. On the last day of your life you are getting a story on 60 Minutes that you produced with your daughter."
It's being reported that the driver of the livery car had his license suspected nine times. The NYPD is quoted as saying all the infractions had been cleared up prior to the accident.
Watch TV News Titans Remember Bob Simon