The longtime host of Turner Classic Movies and film historian, Robert Osborne, has died, TCM announced Monday.
“All of us here at Turner Classic Movies are deeply saddened by the death of Robert Osborne,” TCM general manager Jennifer Dorian said in a statement.”
“Robert was a beloved member of the TCM family for more than 23 years. He joined us as an expert on classic film and grew to be our cherished colleague and esteemed ambassador for TCM,” Dorian said.
“Robert’s contributions were fundamental in shaping TCM into what it is today and we owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid,” she said.
The always upbeat Osborne, 84, was a former actor, who started his career under contract at Desilu, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s movie studio.
He became the primary host of TCM in 1994 when the cable network first launched and, as a big proponent of film preservation, Osborne shared his vast knowledge of classic films, actors, and studios with movie fans on TCM for almost two decades.
Robert Osborne was born in Colfax, Washington in 1932, but considered New York his home.
He had slowly turned over more of his TCM hosting duties to Ben Manckiewicz beginning in 2011 after taking a medical leave of absence.
There’s no word, yet, on a cause of death.
"There really aren't words to express the enormity of how Robert's loss is felt inside TCM," Manckiewicz wrote in a Facebook post.
Fans across the country and around the world expressed a similar sentiment on social media.
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