Legendary NYC news anchor Pablo Guzman, dubbed ‘the son of the Bronx’, has died aged 73.
Guzman died on Sunday morning from a sudden heart attack after decades of reporting on politics, crime, and the historic evolution of the city.
He leaves behind his wife Debbie, his children Daniel and Angela, and his mother Sally.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams paid tribute to the legendary New Yorker on X, formerly Twitter.
He wrote: ‘Pablo Guzmán was a son of the Bronx who spoke truth to power and held leaders to account.
Guzman died on Sunday morning from a sudden heart attack after decades of reporting on politics, crime, and the historic evolution of the city
CBS 2 reporter Tony Aiello called Guzman the ‘real deal’. ‘Pablo Guzmán packed 150 years worth of life into 73,’ Aiello wrote on X, formerly Twitter
NYC Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X: ‘Pablo Guzmán was a son of the Bronx who spoke truth to power and held leaders to account’
‘Our city is a better place because of the work he did and he will be truly missed. Rest in peace.’
Guzman’s most recent role was as a senior correspondent for CBS.
He worked at WNEW-TV Channel 5 starting from 1984 before taking on a role at WNBC in 1992.
During his time at WNBC-TV, Guzman received an Emmy Award for his reporting on the murder of a New York City Police Department officer.
He also interviewed a number of A-list celebrities, such as Spike Lee, Robert DeNiro, Sting, Carlos Santana and John Fogerty.
He then moved to CBS 2 a few years later for around 16 years.
Guzman graduated from Bronx High School of Science and he attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
He became a founder of the Young Lords, a street gang formed by Puerto Ricans in Chicago that evolved into a diverse revolutionary civil rights group active during the 1960s and ’70s.
Guzman leaves behind his wife Debbie, his children Daniel and Angela, and his mother Sally
Pablo (Yoruba) Guzman, Minister of Information for the Puerto Rican activist group Young Lords, gestures at a news conference in the First Spanish United Methodist Church, which the Young Lords had taken over, in New York City on January 3, 1970
Fred Hampton, left, chairman of the Black Panthers, speaks during a press conference with the Young Lords on Oct. 10, 1969, at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Chicago. With Hampton are, from left, Pablo ‘Yoruba’ Guzman, a Young Lord from New York; Jose ‘Cha-Cha’ Jimenez, founder of the Young Lords of Chicago; and Mike Klonsky, a spokesman for Students for a Democratic Society
It campaigned for Puerto Rican independence, freedom of political prisoners, and withdrawal of military troops from Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and other areas. The Young Lords also advocated for change in their local communities.
Guzman also wrote for several publications, including Billboard, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice and the New York Daily News.
‘The veteran journalist covered crime, local politics, the courts, and, of course, his beloved New York Yankees,’ CBS 2 wrote in an article announcing his death.
‘I never knew what was going to come out of his mouth,’ CBS 2 anchor Cindy Hsu added.
‘Pablo was so original, and is going to be missed,’ Hsu said. ‘He knew everybody.’
News Director Sarah Burke said Guzman was able to bring out ‘the best in people’, noting that ‘people really trusted him’.
CBS 2 reporter Tony Aiello called Guzman the ‘real deal’.
‘Pablo Guzmán packed 150 years worth of life into 73,’ Aiello wrote on X.
‘His reporting pulsed with a vitality earned on the streets of El Barrio. He covered historic events, and with the Young Lords he authored a unique chapter of NYC’s own history. Pablo was the real deal. Rest in peace.’