Veteran ABC newsreader Richard Morecroft has died aged 70 after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. He died on the New South Wales South Coast, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him.
A spokesperson confirmed the news on Morecroft’s Instagram page, saying he died on Tuesday “at a time of his choosing”.
The statement said Morecroft was “grateful to go peacefully” and described him as “such a warm, generous and caring human”. It added that those who knew him, “if only through their TV screens”, would remember him fondly.
Morecroft presented the ABC’s 7pm news bulletin from 1983 until 2002. He later hosted the SBS programme Letters and Numbers and the ABC children’s current affairs show Behind the News.
Tributes from colleagues and viewers described the veteran journalist as kind, generous and inspiring. One person called him “one of the most wonderful human beings on the planet”, while another wrote: “My favourite newsreader of all time.”
ABC journalist Leigh Sales paid tribute to a “truly lovely, kind, caring and gentle human”, adding: “I was privileged to call him a friend.”
Former ABC presenter Michael Rowland described Morecroft as a “superb” newsreader and a lovely man, offering his condolences to the journalist’s family and friends.
Morecroft was born in 1956 and moved from England to Adelaide with his family when he was 10. After graduating from the University of Adelaide, he began working for the ABC before becoming a familiar presence on nightly television bulletins.
