Veteran radio journalist Susan Stamberg has died at the age of 87, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy that transformed what public radio could be.
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According to an announcement by National Public Radio (NPR), Stamberg passed away on October 16 2025.). The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Susan Stemberg is widely regarded as one of the “founding mothers” of NPR. She’s had a pretty extensive career.
Born Susan Levitt in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938, Stamberg grew up in Manhattan and earned her bachelor’s degree before finding her way into the nascent world of public radio.
She joined NPR in the early 1970s, and by 1972, she was co-hosting its flagship news programme, All Things Considered. This made her the first woman to host a national nightly news broadcast in America.
After 14 years on All Things Considered, she went on to host Weekend Edition Sunday, where she introduced inventive features, including the famed “Sunday puzzle” with Will Shortz.
For her brilliant career, Stamberg was honoured with induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020.
Susan Stamberg Honored By Family
In a statement following her death, Susan’s son, Josh Stamberg, described his mother as “a true humanitarian.”
“She believed in the power of great journalism,” he continued. “Her life’s work was connection, through ideas and culture.”
She is survived by him and her two granddaughters, Vivian and Lena.
Through her decades-long career she helped change the face of journalism: opening doors for women, demonstrating that news could be intimate yet rigorous, and that radio could reflect everyday life just as much as global headlines.
Linda Wertheimer further recalled a memory of Susan Stamberg, which was shared by NPR. “Susan and I disagreed about politics,” she said. “That is to say: I thought it was fantastically interesting. All I wanted to do was cover politics. She thought it was the most boring thing imaginable. She couldn’t think why anyone would want to do that.”
And that tracks, considering Stamberg went on to make a name for herself reporting on interesting, grounded, and lively events.