Tom Jarriel, whose distinguished ABC News career spanned major historical moments from Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination to exposing humanitarian crises abroad, died October 24, 2024 at the age of 89, at a nursing facility in Annapolis, Maryland.
Health complications following a December stroke led to his passing, according to his son Stephen.
Born in LaGrange, Georgia in 1934, Jarriel graduated from the University of Houston in 1956 and began his journalism career at KPRC in Houston, Texas.
After joining ABC News in 1965, Jarriel gained national recognition for his coverage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. By 1969, he was promoted to Chief White House Correspondent, where he covered the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
His career reached new heights in 1979 when he became the anchor of ABC’s Weekend Report and joined the network’s emerging primetime news magazine “20/20.” During his more than two decades with the program, Jarriel tackled complex issues including criminal justice reform, and conducted challenging interviews with national leaders.
Among his most impactful work was a series of investigations into the plight of orphans in Romania, which Jarriel himself described as “the great, defining story of my career.” His reporting also included coverage of child victims in the Mozambican civil war, the return of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and the Ethiopian famine.
Jarriel’s excellence in journalism earned him numerous accolades, including 19 Emmy Awards throughout his career. He retired from ABC News in 2002 after 38 years with the network, though he briefly returned in 2003 to contribute to coverage of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Former “20/20” colleague Geraldo Rivera praised Jarriel as “an excellent, award-winning reporter and gracious colleague on 20/20, a true gentleman.”
Jarriel is survived by his wife of 67 years, Joan, and their three sons.