The legendary journalist and filmmaker John Pilger has died at his home in London.
A statement on Mr Pilger’s X/Twitter page read: “It is with great sadness the family of John Pilger announce he died yesterday 30 December 2023 in London aged 84.
“His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family, he was simply the most amazing and loved Dad, Grandad and partner. Rest In Peace.”
Mr Pilger’s son Sam wrote: “My Dad died yesterday. I am heartbroken, but also so very proud and grateful to have had such an amazing Dad. He was my hero.”
Following the announcement of his death, a wave of tributes poured in from fellow journalists and admirers. Matt Bishop said: “A truly great investigative journalist died yesterday. Many other fine investigative journalists who were inspired by him will be very, very sad today, & rightly so. #RIPJohnPilger”
Originally born in Bondi, New South Wales, Australia, Mr Pilger had been based in the UK since the 1960s and wrote for the Daily Mirror and the Daily Telegraph. In 1984, he founded the tabloid News on Sunday where he became Editor in Chief in 1986.
Later, in the 1990s and 2000s he wrote regularly for the New Statesman and the Guardian where he published his last column in 2019.
As well as a successful career as a writer, Mr Pilger was known for his prolific career as a filmmaker producing documentaries for the BBC, ITV, and ATV. Mr Pilger made documentaries about Cambodia under Pol Pot, Australia’s Indigenous peoples, East Timor, Palestine, the Chagos Islands, and democracy in Latin America.
Across a career which spanned over 50 years, Mr Pilger won several awards including the Journalist of the Year at the Press Awards in 1967 and 1979. In 2017, he was given the Order of Timor-Leste, the highest honour that can be awarded in the Asian country.
Mr Pilger is survived by his partner and two children, Sam and Zoe.
