Gwen Ifill Dead At Only 61

Gwen Ifill, one of the first black women to cover the White House, Congress and national campaigns during three decades for The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC and, most recently, PBS, died on Monday at a hospice in Washington. She was 61.

The cause was complications of uterine cancer, her brother Roberto said.

President Obama immediately released a statement:

“Gwen was a friend of ours, she was an extraordinary journalist, she always kept faith with the fundamental responsibilities of her profession: asking tough questions, holding people in power accountable, and defending a strong and free press that makes our democracy work.”