David Willey, the legendary BBC foreign correspondent, has died at the age of 93, the corporation announced. His career spanned more than 50 years, during which he reported from Algeria, Vietnam, and China, but he was best known for his time in Rome as the BBC's Vatican correspondent, covering the reigns of five popes.
A Life of Reporting from the Frontlines
Willey began his career as a trainee for Reuters news agency and covered the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, which established the European Economic Community. He later worked as a freelancer in Algeria before becoming the BBC's east Africa correspondent in 1964. He reported on the Vietnam War and was dispatched to China after the communist revolution.
He was awarded an OBE for services to broadcast journalism and wrote a book on Pope Francis. Even into his nineties, Willey continued to work, reflecting last year on how the Vatican had changed under the late Pope Francis.
Vatican Expertise and Legacy
Mark Lowen, BBC correspondent and presenter, said: "He was an incredible authority on the Vatican, reporting and travelling with five Popes, and was so kind, giving me insight and encouragement when I started in Rome in 2019."
One of Willey's most notable assignments was the assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981. Last year, he met his fifth pope—the newly elected Pope Leo. The BBC noted that he will likely be best remembered for his decades of work in Rome, where he became an authority on the papacies of five different popes.
Broadcast Career Highlights
Willey's distinguished career also included covering the Vietnam War and reporting from China after the communist revolution. His work took him across the globe, and he remained active in journalism well into his nineties.
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