Bill Williams dead: Beloved TV anchor dies as heartbroken tributes pour in for 'true icon'

Legendary news reader Bill Williams has died at the age of 91. His death was announced on Tuesday August 19 by Tennessee channel WBIR, where he worked for more than two decades prior to his retirement in 2000. However he continued to appear on the channel occasionally in news broadcasts. No cause of death has been announced.

David Hunt, the President and General Manager of WBIR, paid tribute with a statement. "Bill Williams wasn't just the face of WBIR, he was its heart and soul. His integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to serving the East Tennessee community Straight from the Heart, set a standard that will guide this station for generations to come. Bill was the newsman the viewers trusted, the steady voice of our time. His legacy is not only in the stories he told, but in the lives he touched. We are forever grateful for his leadership, his example, and his love for this community," he said.

Bill presented WBIR's evening newscasts for over two decades, appearing in more than 10,000 broadcasts from 1977 until 2000. He became an integral part of the local community and in 1999, after announcng his "slow" retirement, he told the News Sentinel: "I feel I've been so fortunate to have been so accepted. It's hard to give it up, particularly knowing that you can make a difference."

In 1980, he launched a weekly segment called Monday's Child, which profiled children seeking adoptive families. The segment helped to place more than 1,000 children - many of them with special needs - in permanent homesand continued long after his retirement.

"I want every one of them, practically. I'd have a whole house of children if my wife would let me," he told News Sentinel.

He was one of the first local reporters to cover the HIV and AIDS crisis in 1987. The cause was close to his heart as one of his sons was diagnosed that same year. His impact was such that in 2010, the street where WBIR's studios are located was renamed Bill Williams Avenue.

Tributes flooded in for the beloved newsman as people learned of his death. Writing on X one remarked: "RIP Bill Williams. A bonafide legend in the Knoxville TV market."

"Oh no! Bill Williams was a legend around these parts as WBIR's anchor for decades. He was great at what he did and represented everything good about East Tennessee," another added.

A third chimed in: "True legend & icon in East Tennessee local news has left this world RIP Bill Williams." A fourth shared:" Absolute legend. Rest in peace."

Meanwhile a fifth reflected: "If you are from East Tennessee, Bill Williams was the news. But more than that, he helped hundreds of foster children find permanent homes, when you look back and talk about a life well lived, I can't imagine many that accomplished more than that."