Veteran New York reporter David Diaz died last week at the age of 82.

His television news career spanned three decades. CBS News New York said its staffers “were lucky that he shared his remarkable abilities, generous spirit and infectious smile with us and our viewers.”

Before working at NBC owned station WNBC for 15 years, he had been a community activist and newspaper reporter. Diaz then spent more than 12 years at CBS New York.

“A reporter’s reporter. New York City guy. Hard scrabble, you know, bringing himself up and wanted to bring others up as well,” CBS Evening News anchor Maurice Dubois.

“He understood New York City like very few journalist know and that was David Diaz. He was a consummate professional, a charming, charming man,” CBS New York anchor Mary Calvi said.

Family members say in recent years Diaz lived with a form of dementia that diminished his gifts of communication, but added even as his words faded, his spirit never did.

“He was such a mentor. He was a mentor from when I first met him and 1993 and then after he left Channel 2, which was huge loss to journalism in general. Then he wanted to keep helping, so he teaches. I miss him. I know it’s a big hole in so many people’s lives,” said CBS New York anchor and reporter Cindy Hsu.

Diaz is survived by his daughters, Elena, Nina, son-in-law Johnathan and his wife, Andrea.