SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Hugh Downs, the omnipresent broadcaster whose career spanned more than half a century, including 20 years on ABC's "20/20," has died at age 99.

Downs died on Wednesday in his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to a statement from his family.

"I hope I'd be remembered as a guy who tried to do some good and who was, most importantly, honest," he said in 2002 during an interview with his former "20/20" co-host Barbara Walters. "I can't see any greatness that I would be remembered for, but if people think kindly of me, I'll be happy at that."

Downs became a friendly and familiar face during his thousands of hours on television between the 1950s and 1990s, during which he worked on NBC's "Today" and "Tonight" shows, the game show "Concentration," "20/20," PBS' "Over Easy" and "Live from Lincoln Center," as well as on dozens of commercials.

For years, Downs held the Guinness record for most total hours on commercial network television, until Regin Philbin broke his record in 2004, according to the Associated Press.

Downs had also written books and worked in radio. His first job was as an announcer for a small radio station in Ohio. He moved into TV shortly afterward and in 1954 joined NBC, where he eventually met Walters, who was working as a writer at the "Today Show" show at the time.

By that point, his reputation had grown to where he would approve any commercials he was assigned to read in an effort to avoid misinforming the public.

Story Date: July 9, 2020