Former ABC News anchor Tom Jarriel has died at age 89

Tom Jarriel, a former ABC News correspondent and anchor, has died, his family announced Thursday. He was 89.

Jarriel was born in Georgia and grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1958, he began his career in broadcast journalism at KPRC in Houston.

Jarriel joined ABC News in 1965 and quickly gained national attention for his coverage of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1969, he was named chief White House correspondent, covering both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

1979 proved to be a pivotal year in Jarriel's career: He was named anchor of ABC's weekend program Report and joined the newly formed ABC primetime newsmagazine “20/20.”

Jarriel reported on a wide range of topics for “20/20,” including a widely acclaimed report on female military members who claim they were raped and sexually abused while serving their country.

It was his series of reports on the plight of children suffering in Romanian orphanages that Jarriel remembered as “the great, defining story of my career.”

Over the course of more than two decades at “20/20,” his impactful reporting earned him numerous awards, including six Emmy Awards before his retirement in 2002.

Jarriel is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Joan, and his three sons.