New York's beloved journalist Arnold Diaz, who covered the news for 50 years, lost his battle with blood cancer at the age of 74, his former network PIX11 announced.
Diaz, having worked for a number of outlets, was best known for his "Shame on You" consumer-investigative segments that aired on CBS2.
The "New York City staple," as referred to by the New York Post, won nearly 50 Emmys throughout his career. He also reported for FOX 5, PIX11, ABC7 and ABC News' "20/20" program.
"One of his final reports for PIX11 involved Spectrum wires hanging from a NYCHA development in Long Island City, causing safety issues such as the wind blowing the wires against residents’ windows and breaking them," the Post reported.
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"I’ve been lucky to have had a dream job, standing up for the little guy, sticking it to the bad guys," Diaz said when he retired from PIX11 last year. "But most satisfying are the viewers who have thanked me for paying attention to their problems. Thank you for watching."
His former colleague, PIX 11 meteorologist "Mr. G," referred to him as "a class act" who was the same off the air as he was on television.
Diaz, a native of Brooklyn, earned a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies from Florida State University prior to earning his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. He leaves behind a wife, three children and two grandchildren.
Multiple myeloma, the type of cancer Diaz had, is reportedly more common in men than women.
According to Mayo Clinic, "in myeloma, the cancer cells build up in the bone marrow and crowd out the healthy blood cells. This leads to tiredness and not being able to fight infections."
