Jim Avila, a former Senior National Correspondent for ABC News, has died at the age of 69. His passing was announced live on the air by Diane Macedo on November 13, sharing the "sad news" of his death after a "long illness," although did not specify his medical condition. As can be seen in the video above, Diane extensively covered his history with the network, his work with its various subsidiary shows, as well as his family life. Avila was a proud father to three children, Jamie, Jenny and Evan, with the latter also following in his footsteps as a journalist.
ABC News' response
ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic put out a statement after news of his death broke, which read: "We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan, and we thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth."
Jim Avila's career with ABC
Avila was best known for his tenure as a White House correspondent from 2012-16, being the first to break the news that the United States and Cuba had resumed diplomatic relations and winning the Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association for the same. He also served as a regular anchor on World News Tonight Saturday and a correspondent for 20/20.
His career beyond ABC
Prior to joining ABC, he worked with NBC Nightly News, covering major breaking stories like the September 11 attacks, reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq, and was named a National Correspondent for the network. He worked with KNBC from 1994-96, winning a Golden Mike Award and an Emmy as the principal reporter for the station covering the O.J. Simpson trial.