Sad news at the passing of Ian Ross, long time stalwart of the Nine and Seven networks. A release has been offered by the Seven Network:

The entire team at Seven News is deeply saddened by the death of our wonderful colleague, friend and mentor, Ian Ross.

Roscoe – as he is known to everyone – delivered Sydney’s Seven News for seven years before he retired in 2009.

In a career spanning five decades, Roscoe was one of the most popular newsreaders in Australian television history – a perfect mix of on-road experience and on-camera charisma.

More than that, he was respected, trusted, and with a warm personality viewers loved. What you saw on television was the man behind the scenes. He was loved by everyone in the newsroom.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Roscoe’s partner Gray and his family.

Director of Seven News, Sydney, Chris Willis, paid tribute to Ian:

“We all loved Roscoe. He was the consummate newsman and a wonderful human being. He had incredibly high professional standards and could be a tough task master. He led our news brilliantly in the time he was here.

“He was also great fun to work with. He was serious about his job, but didn’t take himself too seriously and frequently entertained the newsroom with jokes at his own expense. We will all treasure our memories of Roscoe.”