Jim Hartz Dies At 82: Former ‘Today’ Show Host’s Cause Of Death Revealed

Jim Hartz, known for co-hosting the “Today” show alongside Barbara Walters in the mid-1970s, has passed away. He was 82.

The former TV personality’s wife, Alexandra, confirmed his death to Deadline, saying that her husband passed away on April 17 in Fairfax County, Virginia. She also revealed that Hartz died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In a separate interview with the New York Times, Alexandra shared that her husband was being kept alive by a ventilator while battling the condition. However, he had chosen to be removed from the machine in his final moments.

Aside from Alexandra, Hartz is also survived by his two daughters, Jana Hartz Maher and Nancy Hartz Cole. He also had a son named John Mitchell Hartz, who died in 2015. The former TV host is also survived by his six grandkids and six great-grandkids.

Hartz was the successor of Frank McGee on the “Today” show in 1974. He started hosting at 34 and quickly built a loyal following due to his laid-back style and cheerful demeanor while on the air.

Before joining the morning talk show, Hartz had already spent more than a decade reporting for WNBC, covering diverse stories from Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral to Watergate.

Hartz’s stay on “Today” was short-lived. However, the two years he spent on the show were very productive as he covered several monumental events, including former President Richard Nixon’s resignation, the end of the Vietnam War and the American Bicentennial.

Hartz also covered several space shuttle launches during his stint on the morning show. In a 1974 interview, he admitted that his experience covering NASA events was “so overwhelming” that he could hardly recall the things he had said on camera.

Hartz was born on Feb. 3, 1940, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the fifth child of Assembly of God minister Rev. Marvin Dillard Hartz and Helen Elvira.

Decades before he got the chance to work with Walters on “Today,” Hartz was already a local celebrity. After college, he got hired as a reporter for KOTV in Tulsa and hosted the channel’s morning show, “Sun Up.”