The White House is mourning a veteran Fox News cameraman who lost his life to cancer recently.
61-year-old Craig Savage, who worked in the network's White House unit, was with Fox News from the day it launched in 1996.
Fox News' CEO Suzanne Scott and President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace called Savage a "pioneering force" in a memo informing employees of the sad news.
Savage helped capture pivotal events in the channel's history, including Fox News' first-ever presidential interview with Bill Clinton, the network said. The cameraman "was subsequently involved in nearly every presidential interview thereafter."
"He also ran the FOX floor camera at the 2000 and 2004 presidential conventions — an extremely challenging job that he truly relished," the statement read.
Savage captured President George W. Bush's surprise trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving in 2003, as well as President Trump's covert visit to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving in 2019.
"His stealth and proficiency in delivering footage under the most stringent conditions were a testament to his skill and dedication," Scott and Wallace wrote.
Savage's skill and dedication made him the "go-to person" for ensuring "flawless live shots from the White House," the statement said.
"In one notable instance, Craig chose to act as an engineer during a major pool trip for FOX News when then-President Clinton visited Africa, deciding to help our very young team accomplish a huge assignment instead of traveling in his traditional role, which would have allowed him to go on a safari and have a front row seat to an historic event in Africa."
Savage's untimely passing has elicited an outpouring of tributes from his colleagues, including Fox News' chief Washington correspondent, Mike Emanuel.
We are mourning the passing of a dear colleague and friend. My heartfelt condolences to Craig Savage’s family. 🙏📷✝️https://t.co/8aurJx1dUQ#FoxNews
— Mike Emanuel 🇺🇸 (@MikeEmanuelFox) March 10, 2025
Sharing a reaction to the sad news, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Savage a "great man."
"A very tragic death. An individual who was a great man and covered this building for many, many years," she said. "The entire press office, the communications office here wants to express our condolences with his family."
Savage is survived by his wife, Fox News senior producer Anne Marie Riha, his sons Jake, Andrew and Maxwell, daughter-in-law Alexa, his stepchildren Zachary and Carly Norins and his grandchildren Sloane and Evander Savage.
