Australia mourns the loss of one of its most important artists following the death of radio and television star Bert Newtown at the age of 83.
Newton, long the king of Australian television, died on Saturday after a long war with the disease.
Bert Newton first attracted public attention at the age of 15 when he began working as a radio announcer at Melbourne station 3XY in 1954.
Two years later, he signed on channel 7 months after the launch of TV in Australia.
On 1nine5nine, he rose to nine and co-hosted In Melbourne Tonight, better known as IMT, alongside his clever friend Graham Kennedy.
The pair were an instant success, sparking a 14-year career that cemented Kennedy and Newton as television legends.
Years later, Bert hosted systems such as the Bert Newton Show, Don Lane Show, New Faces and Tonight with Bert Newton.
On 1ninenine2, he moved to 10 Network, where he hosted Good Morning Australia before returning to the nine in 2005 to host Bert’s Family Feud.
His brilliant career has twice been King of Moomba, Victorian of the Year in 2008 and no less than 4 Golden Logies.
It has hosted the Logie Awards for 14 consecutive years.
Over the next few years, Newton became interested in theater, appearing in primary productions such as Wicked, Annie, The Wizard of Oz, The Producers, Grease: The Musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Sound Of Music and Beauty and the Beast.
In March of this year, Bert was admitted to the hospital where his leg was amputated to save his life.
He is survived by his wife Patti, daughter Lauren, son Matthew and six grandchildren.
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