Longtime Phoenix TV anchor Bill Close dies
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PHOENIX -- Longtime Phoenix television news anchor Bill Close has died. He was 91.
KSAZ-TV announced Monday that Close died Sunday afternoon. Details weren't announced.
KSAZ used to be known as KOOL-TV, where Close worked for 29 years as news anchor and later vice president for news until he retired in 1993.
He took the TV job in 1964 after an 18-year career at Phoenix radio station KOY.
Close was known for his no-nonsense delivery and his signature bolo tie on television.
A gunman burst into the newsroom and held Close and a cameraman hostage on the air for five hours on May 28, 1982. Close had to read a rambling statement from the gunman before he finally surrendered to police.
Funeral plans and a list of Close's survivors weren't immediately available.
