Peter Jennings has passed away after a months of combating lung cancer, his colleagues at ABC News announced late tonight:

In announcing Jennings' death to his ABC colleagues, News President David Westin wrote:

"For four decades, Peter has been our colleague, our friend, and our leader in so many ways. None of us will be the same without him.

"As you all know, Peter learned only this spring that the health problem he'd been struggling with was lung cancer. With Kayce, he moved straight into an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. He knew that it was an uphill struggle. But he faced it with realism, courage, and a firm hope that he would be one of the fortunate ones. In the end, he was not.

"We will have many opportunities in the coming hours and days to remember Peter for all that he meant to us all. It cannot be overstated or captured in words alone. But for the moment, the finest tribute we can give is to continue to do the work he loved so much and inspired us to do."

Jennings was 67 years old, having been the anchor for ABC News for 22 years. Our condolences go to his wife Kayce Freed, his children Elizabeth and Christopher, and his sister Sarah Jennings. We will add the Jennings family to our prayers.

UPDATE: In a show of bad taste, this group waited all of one hour to send out a broadcast e-mail to presumably a large number of recipients with this header: "Jennings' Death Shows Tenacious Nature of Smoking". A Professor John F. Banzhaf from George Washington University law school sent out the e-mail using Jennings' death to tell people that it predicted the likelihood of his death when Jennings first disclosed his illness.

Like others who support good causes with no brains and no soul, Professor Banzhaf needs to remember that the cause does not excuse the means. ASH and the professor should be ashamed of themselves.

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