From 1962 to 2001, Bill Beutel was part of the ABC team, and many American living rooms. At 75, the news anchor and former host of AM America has died at his home in Pinehurst, N.C.

Beutel will surely be remembered for is signature sign-off, "Good luck and be well," which was a nightly news staple for 30 years.

He "proved you could be a tough newsman and a gentleman at the same time," WABC president and general manager Dave Davis said Sunday in a statement. "He was never shrill, always measured, and universally respected the original class act."

Beutel was the winner of several Emmy awards and a Peabody award, and though he left ABC in 2001, he continued to report overseas for another two years. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment in his life was his ability to leave the world without causing any prime time/daytime host wars at ABC.

He even worked closely with "a young Peter Jennings" (y'know, because saying that was 30 years ago isn't enough implication that everyone was younger). We imagine those two in heaven sharing a smoke and starting a blog.

Longtime ABC News Anchor Bill Beutel Dies [ABC News]