Venerated news anchor Chet Curtis died yesterday after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, WCVB-TV (Ch. 5) announced this morning.
Curtis, a TV news fixture for nearly 50 years, was 74.
“Chet Curtis was much more than an extraordinary journalist. He was a generous mentor and sincere friend to so many here at WCVB,” said Bill Fine, WCVB-TV president and general manager.
His daughters, Dana, Dawn and Lindsay, said in a statement, “We have been blessed to grow up watching how our father lived his life — with unwavering kindness, compassion and gratitude. We learned so much from him, but his greatest gift was to teach us how to love. Our hearts are heavy today but we take comfort in knowing that he will live on in the hearts, eyes and smiles of all who knew and loved him.”
Born Chester Kukiewicz in upstate New York, Curtis began his media career at 15, reading news for a local radio station, according to a statement released by his family.
His first job as a reporter was with WTOP in Washington, D.C. He then worked at WCBS in New York City before he landed for good in Boston. In 1968, he began a storied career at Channel 5, where he and his then-wife, Natalie Jacobson, were the top-rated “Chet and Nat” anchor team for decades.
“The word for Chet was warmth. He was a really warm guy. And he treated everyone, from the general manager to the cleaning staff, with that same warmth,” said WCVB colleague Kelley J. Tuthill, who joined the news team in 1998.
She said Curtis and Jacobson reminded her of the ’70s TV series “Hart to Hart” about a pair of amateur sleuths who just happened to be gorgeous millionaire spouses.
“What a great life,” Tuthill marveled of the anchor-desk power couple.
“They were so cool, so glamorous.”
Tuthill recalled “my throat went dry” the first time she got to say, “Back to you Chet and Nat.”
“I didn’t believe then, literally, and don’t believe to this day I was worthy to say those words,” she said.
Curtis’ last 10 years in front of a camera were spent at NECN.
“Chet Curtis was a Boston television legend, who we were proud to call part of the NECN family for more than 10 years,” the cable station said in a statement. “Chet had keen journalistic skills and a finely honed talent for storytelling. His calming and reassuring presence, developed through decades at the helm of the biggest news stories in Boston and beyond, will be sorely missed in our newsroom. He was without ego, and always took the time to teach and mentor younger reporters and anchors with enthusiasm, generosity, kindness and humor.”
As news of his death broke, the newsmakers he covered spoke out with sadness and affection.
“Chet Curtis will be remembered for being professional, fair-minded, smart, and most importantly, a genuinely kind person,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said. “He could ask a tough and insightful question while maintaining his friendliness and warmth all at the same time. Chet was at the center of so many key moments in our state’s history, and became like extended family to the thousands who watched him each night.”
“Who can ever forget Chet and what he meant to Boston?” said former mayor and Vatican Ambassador Ray Flynn, who recalled Curtis was with him when he first arrived in Rome. “We shared many great historic Boston events. A real professional and a good and decent man.”
Last year, Curtis was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His sometime-WCVB co-anchor Susan Wornick, was inducted into the
Hall of Fame at the same time.
“He joked about his hair, he joked about his condition and there was not a dry eye in the house,” the Emmy winner said of the bittersweet memory of her old friend’s last public speaking appearance.
In the newsroom, Wornick said, Curtis was addressed as The Mayor.
“I think even Mayor Menino called him The Mayor. Chet was a beautiful
guy,” Wornick said, her voice breaking.
He is survived by his daughters, Dana, Dawn & Lindsay; grandchildren, Ryan, Carlin, Matthew and Devyn; and his long-time partner, Kerry Kristine.
During his illness, Curtis’ family and friends were his rock.
“Chet didn’t talk so much about the specifics of living as he did serve as an example of how to show love,” Wornick said. “He never understood why he was as popular as he was.
“For those of us who loved him, to see how he deteriorated — it was the
worst possible real-life situation.”
When Herald columnist Margery Eagan visited him at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital last year, she found him greeting a steady stream of pals. He had his karaoke machine to exercise his legendary singing voice. Taped to a door were handmade cards from his grandkids calling him a “great grandfather (who’s) really good at broadcasting (and) never breaks a promise (and) an amazing role model.”
“To all who watched, knew and loved him, there will never be another Chet Curtis,” his family said in a statement today.
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