The longest-serving executive producer of 60 Minutes, John Westacott, has died after a suspected medical incident on a yacht on Sydney Harbour off Vaucluse.
Westacott, a former director of Nine news and current affairs, died when he fell off the boat near Neilson Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Sunday. He was unable to be revived and died at the scene, New South Wales police said on Monday.
Colleagues at Nine confirmed Westacott – who was in his early 70s – died on Sunday. He had retired after 25 years with the network in 2009.
Nine executives Darren Wick and Michael Healy paid tribute to their former colleague describing him as a “trailblazer of Australian journalism”.
“His lifelong love was 60 Minutes,” Wick and Healy said.
“He was fearless as he pushed his team to report some of the greatest stories and interviews Australians have ever seen. He was ferocious in defending his team against any criticism – externally and internally.
“Westy had a laser-like focus and an incredible intuition on what 60 Minutes meant to Australian viewers and what they wanted to see from the program every Sunday night.”
Westacott was a former journalist at the Daily Telegraph and the Australian newspaper. He then went on to dominate news and current affairs at Nine for more than two decades – running the Today show and A Current Affair as well as 60 Minutes.
“Westy was an enigma,” Wick and Healy said.
“There was no one like him. He didn’t care about political correctness and would publicly declare that. But, he was among the first in our industry to promote women to senior roles with 60 Minutes and ensure their voices were heard. He didn’t care where you came from, nor about your gender, ethnicity or religious and political beliefs. He cared about whether you had the passion and ability to tell a great story.”
When he was leading the news department, Westacott appointed Peter Overton as the Sydney anchor, a move which proved to be a good one.
“He understood the integrity and authenticity that Peter would bring to Nine News and set it apart from the rest,” Wick and Healy said. “The fact that the 6pm Sydney bulletin has dominated the news for the past 12 years is a testament to the vision that John Westacott brought to Nine.”
Westacott came to the public’s attention in 2008 when the network’s former Los Angeles correspondent Christine Spiteri won a breach of contract and trade practices claim against Nine and was awarded a six-figure sum plus costs.
In her statement of claim, Spiteri alleged Westacott told her: “You should work for SBS, you certainly have the name for it.’’
Wick and Healy acknowledged Westacott’s past: “He was no saint and had a devilish sense of humour and was a master of mischief. But he was a journalist’s journo and always a generous source of knowledge and insight.”
