Legendary New York news anchor Pablo Guzman, nicknamed the “Son of the Bronx,” has died at the age of 73.
Guzman died Sunday morning of a sudden heart attack after decades of reporting on politics, crime and the city’s historical development.
He is survived by his wife Debbie, his children Daniel and Angela and his mother Sally.
New York 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 accountable.”
Guzman died Sunday morning of a sudden heart attack after decades of reporting on politics, crime and the city’s historical development
CBS 2 reporter Tony Aiello called Guzman the “real deal.” “Pablo Guzmán packed 150 years 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 accountable.”
“Our city is a better place because of the work he did and we will truly miss him. “Rest in peace.”
Most recently, Guzman served as a senior correspondent for CBS.
He worked at WNEW-TV Channel 5 beginning in 1984 before taking a role at WNBC in 1992.
While at WNBC-TV, Guzman received an Emmy Award for his coverage of the murder of an NYPD officer.
He also interviewed a number of A-list celebrities including 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 the Bronx High School of Science and attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
He became the founder of the Young Lords, a street gang founded by Puerto Ricans in Chicago that grew into a diverse revolutionary civil rights group in the 1960s and 1970s.
Guzman is survived by his wife, Debbie, his children, Daniel and Angela, and his mother, Sally
Pablo (Yoruba) Guzman, information minister for the Puerto Rican activist group Young Lords, gestures at a news conference at the First Spanish United Methodist Church, which the Young Lords had taken over on January 3, 1970, in New York City
Fred Hampton (left), chairman of the Black Panthers, speaks during a press conference with the Young Lords on October 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
She advocated for Puerto Rican independence, the freedom of political prisoners, and the withdrawal of military troops from Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and other territories. The Young Lords also advocated for change in their local communities.
Guzman also wrote for several publications, including Billboard, Rolling Stone, 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,” added CBS 2 anchor Cindy Hsu.
“Pablo was so original and we will miss him,” Hsu said. “He knew everyone.”
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 of life into 73,” Aiello wrote on X.
“His reporting pulsed with a vitality that he earned on the streets of El Barrio.” He covered historic events and, with the Young Lords, wrote a unique chapter in New York history. Pablo was the real deal. Rest in peace.’