Veteran Latino Journalist Jim Avila Dies After Long Illness

Veteran Latino journalist Jim Avila, an award-winning correspondent known for his decades of investigative reporting at ABC News, NBC and local stations across the country, died at age 69 after a long illness, ABC News confirmed.

ABC News Live anchor Diane Macedo announced the "sad news". He "passed away after a long illness," Macedo said. Avila died in his home in San Diego, California, sorrounded by his family, revealed People.

Avila's career stretched nearly five decades and earned him a reputation as one of the most respected correspondents of his generation. His path in journalism began in the early 1970s in San Francisco, where he worked at KCBS radio before moving on to television roles at KPIX. He later held reporting positions at WBBM and WLS in Chicago before joining KNBC in Los Angeles. His coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder trial in the mid-1990s helped cement his national profile.

In 2004, he joined ABC News, where he spent more than 15 years covering national affairs, law and justice, consumer issues, and, later, the White House. From 2012 to 2016, he served as an ABC White House correspondent.

During that assignment, he delivered one of his most notable scoops, breaking the news that the United States and Cuba were working to restore diplomatic relations. The story earned him the Merriman Smith Award from the White House Correspondents Association, an honor given for excellence under deadline pressure.

Avila received numerous recognitions during his career, including two National Emmy Awards and five Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 1999 the National Association of Hispanic Journalists named him Reporter of the Year, and in 2019 the organization inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Colleagues frequently described him as a tough and meticulous reporter with a deep understanding of the communities he covered.

Avila's Latino heritage was an essential part of his life and his journalism. According to reporting from KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego where he later worked, his family emigrated from Chihuahua, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, before settling in California.

His grandmother Juanita Gallardo and her husband Antonio made the journey north, and Avila often referenced his family's immigration story when reporting on border issues and Latino communities. His identity helped shape his coverage of immigration, social justice and civil rights, and it played a significant role in the recognition he received from Latino journalism organizations throughout his career.

Avila left ABC News in 2021 following ongoing health challenges that included a kidney transplant donated by his brother. Even after stepping away from national network work, he continued to report. He joined KGTV in San Diego as a senior investigative journalist, returning to his roots in local reporting and focusing on consumer issues and public accountability.

ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic said Avila was a gifted journalist and a generous colleague, offering condolences to Avila's three children, Jamie, Jenny and Evan. Friends and coworkers across the industry shared tributes on social media, remembering him for his sharp instincts, his mentorship and his commitment to covering complex stories with clarity.

Jim Avila leaves behind a lasting legacy as a pioneering Latino journalist whose work influenced television news at both the local and national levels.