 George Alagiah, long-serving BBC newsreader and the face of BBC One's News At Six since 2007, has died of bowel cancer at the age of 67, his agent has confirmed. Mary Greenham told the PA new agency: 'I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones. 'George fought until the bitter end but sadly that battle ended earlier today. 'George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. He simply was a wonderful human being. 'My thoughts are with Fran, the boys and his wider family.' The Sri Lanka-born journalist was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes, in April 2014. The popular newsreader, pictured here on BBC World News in 2006, first joined the corporation back in 1989(Picture: Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images) He becamemain presenter on the Six O'Clock News alongside Sophie Raworth (Picture: Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images) Alagiah was a popular and reassuring presence on BBC channels beamed into homes for more than 20 years, his unflappable demeanour making him a hit with viewers. He joined the corporation in 1989 and was one of the broadcaster's leading foreign correspondents, filing dispatches on subjects ranging from the Rwandan genocide to civil wars across Africa thanks to his expert knowledge of the developing world. Alagiah was born in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo in 1955 when the city was still considered part of the former British territory of Ceylon. During the BBC's coverage of the 2004 Asian tsunami, he returned to the country to find that his grandfather's former home had been destroyed in the natural disaster. The late broadcaster and journalist was forced to take breaks from television following his bowel cancer diagnosi){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
George Alagiah, long-serving BBC newsreader and the face of BBC One’s News At Six since 2007, has died of bowel cancer at the age of 67, his agent has confirmed.
Mary Greenham told the PA new agency: ‘I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
‘George fought until the bitter end but sadly that battle ended earlier today.
‘George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. He simply was a wonderful human being.