What happened to Bert Newton? Tributes pour in as Australian icon passes away at 83

Bert Newton (Image via Dan Peled/AAP, and pattinewtonofficial/ Instagram)

Australian media personality Bert Newton passed away at the age of 83 after amputating his leg earlier this year due to a complication. Newton is said to have died on Saturday, October 30.

Bert Newton's death was confirmed by journalist Peter Ford, who tweeted:

"I have very sad news…Showbiz icon Bert Newton has died at age 83…"

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bert passed away while receiving palliative care at a private medical facility in Melbourne on Saturday evening.

The four-time Gold Logie award-winning drama, radio, and TV presenter Bert Newton had reportedly been suffering from poor health for years. In November 2012, he had quadruple heart bypass surgery while being in and out of the hospital twice a few months before.

Between March and April of 2017, the Melbourne native was admitted to the hospital several times due to pneumonia.

Last year, Newton incurred a toe-nail infection, for which he had been frequenting the hospital. In May 2021, Bert had to amputate one of his legs from below the knee as the infection had spread to a point where it posed a fatal risk. As of prior reports, the octogenarian had been in hospital in July when he celebrated his 83rd birthday.

Bert is known to have frequented the hospital even after his amputation surgery.

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Fans mourn the death of Bert Newton

Bert Newton has been known for his extensive career as a TV presenter since 1957. His fame garnered him a plethora of condolences on the internet. Here are a few of them:

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Bert Newton's legacy

Newton had been working as a TV show host for over 54 years. He began his television career as a host of The Late Show at Melbourne's HSV-7, where he worked from 1957 to 1959. Later, he worked on In Melbourne Today while also hosting his own show, The Bert Newton Show, which lasted only a year.

He had also worked at The Don Lane Show (from 1975 to 1983) and Good Morning Australia (1992 to 2005). Bert then switched to Nine Network, where he hosted shows like Bert's Family Feud, which lasted only a year before being canceled in 2007. From 2006 to 2011, Bert hosted 20 to 1. In 2007, he also hosted What a Year.

For his extensive career as a television host, Bert Newton was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Patti, his children, Matthew and Lauren, and six grandchildren.