Andy Rooney, America's favorite grumpy old man, announced that he would be stepping down from his regular role as weekly cultural essayist on 60 Minutes.

Rooney will discuss his semi-departure this coming Sunday on the show, which will mark his his 1097th original essay for 60 Minutes. The segment will be preceded by a retrospective on Rooney's career and an interview with Morley Safer.

The 92-year old first appeared on 60 Minutes in 1978, with an essay that discussed reporting of car accidents on 4th of July weekend. He has been with CBS since 1949, and worked on a number of productions -- including multiple collaborations with Harry Reasoner -- before joining 60 Minutes as a regular commentator.

Rooney has been extraordinarily well-liked by audience despite making some controversial comments. An anti-gay comment he made in 1990 resulted in CBS suspending him, but after viewership sharply dropped by 20 percent, he was reinstated.

There's nobody like Andy and there never will be. He'll hate hearing this, but he's an American original, said Jeff Fager, chairman CBS News and the executive producer of '60 Minutes.' His contributions to '60 Minutes' are immeasurable; he's also a great friend. It's harder for him to do it every week, but he will always have the ability to speak his mind on '60 Minutes' when the urge hits him.

Watch a few of our favorite A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney segments here:

Email has all the charm of a freight train.

They make computers so you have to buy a new one whenever there is a full moon.

If I'm such an average American, how come I've never heard of any of the musical groups that millions of other Americans apparently are listening to?

I'm one of those know-nothing boobs.

Elastic bands are one of the greatest tools of our time.

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