After 46 seasons on 60 minutes and over 50 years at CBS News, journalist Morley Safer is retiring. The announcement made today, ahead of a special which will pay tribute to the journalist.

Safer began his career at CBSNews in 1964 as a correspondent out of the London Bureau before opening the CBS News bureau in Saigon. It was while in Vietnam that his career took off, in part because of his reporting on the ground particularly one report where it showed Marines torching the homes of Vietnamese villagers. 

He then began working on 60 Minutes in 1970 as a regular on the show and has been a part of the show since that time. One of his first reports for the show was on the training of U.S. Sky Marshals. 

During his time on the show he has interviewed celebrities from Jackie Gleason, Katharine Hepburn, and Anna Wintour. He though is very well-known for his stories which changed lives such as the investigation into Lenell Geter a black man accused of an armed robbery of a fast food restaurant, the report resulted in the release and exoneration of Geter.

“After more than 50 years of broadcasting on CBS News and 60 Minutes I have decided to retire. It’s been a wonderful run, but the time has come to say goodbye to all of my friends at CBS and the dozens of people who kept me on the air,” Safer said in a statement. “But most of all I thank the millions of people who have been loyal to our broadcast.”

Morley Safer: A Reporters Life will be brodacast Sunday May 15 at (8PM ET/ 9PM PT).