Former CBS News VP Lane Venardos Dies At 67

MAUI, Hawaii (AP) — Lane Venardos, a former CBS News vice president who won numerous awards during his 30 years with the network, has died. He was 67.

Venardos died Friday after suffering a heart attack in his home in Maui, Hawaii, according to CBS spokesman Kevin Tedesco.

During his 30-year career with the network, Venardos worked as executive producer of the “CBS Evening News” and as a vice president for hard news. His work earned him 13 Emmy Awards for his role in the coverage of live news, special events and documentaries.

Venardos produced most of CBS News’ live coverage of the Persian Gulf War, as well as the coverage of political campaigns from 1986 through 1998.

He also supervised the coverage of world summits throughout the world, including the historic meeting between the leaders of China and the Soviet Union in 1989.

Venardos’ award-winning work included a documentary called “48 Hours on Crack Street,” a look at the life of crack cocaine addicts during the drug epidemic of the 1980s. He won an Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University award for the documentary, which was the precursor of the current CBS News magazine “48 Hours Mystery.”

Venardos retired from CBS in January of 2000, but remained a consultant through election night that year, the network said.

“Lane was a wonderful and talented man who had a great gift: he had the ability to make everyone around him smile and laugh no matter what the circumstances,” said Jeff Fager, CBS News chairman and the executive producer of “60 Minutes.””

Vernardos is survived by his wife, Karen, four children and a brother.

Funeral services will be announced at a later date.