Jim Avila, Journalist and Former ABC News Correspondent, Dies at 69

Longtime ABC News correspondent and respected investigative journalist Jim Avila has died at age 69 after battling a “long illness.”

Anchor Diane Macedo of “ABC News Live” announced the news of his passing during a broadcast on Nov. 13, noting that previous health challenges included a kidney transplant donated by his brother.

According to his family, Avila died on Nov. 12 at his home in San Diego. Further details surrounding his exact cause of death remain unknown.

In his decades-long career, Avila specialized in politics, justice, law, and consumer investigations, the anchor said on air.

“He also worked in the White House and broke the news that the U.S. and Cuba had reopened diplomatic relations,” Macedo said. “That story earned him the prestigious Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association.”

Avila began his broadcast career in San Francisco in the early 70s, working at KCBS Radio before landing a weekend anchor gig at KPIX. He then made his way to Chicago, where he covered local, national, and international news stories at ABC, NBC, and CBS-owned stations.

In 1994, Avila settled in Los Angeles as an investigative reporter for KNBC. During his time with the station, he earned the 1995 Golden Mike Award and a 1996 Emmy Award for his coverage of the O.J. Simpson criminal trial.

By 1997, he was averaging 130 yearly reports for “Nightly News,” a feat that made history as the highest number for any minority in the broadcast industry.

Avila was named a national correspondent for the broadcast three years later, and eventually joined ABC in 2004 as a versatile law and justice reporter. He covered the White House during the Obama administration and was also a correspondent for the program “20/20.”

In a statement, ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic described Avila as a “gifted journalist and “generous colleague.”

He paid tribute to his continued contribution to journalism through “opinion writing and local reporting,” while “sharing his experience and deep curiosity to tell the stories that mattered most to his community and viewers.”

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan,” Karamehmedovic said. “We thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth.”

In 2021, he parted ways with ABC and returned to local news in San Diego as a senior investigative correspondent.

Over the years, Avila received accolades and honors that included numerous Emmy awards and five Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 1999, he was named “Reporter of the Year” by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.