Remembering Beloved Producer Bob Lange

April 6, 2009— -- To have been secure in work as Bob Lange was throughout his career, took an extraordinary measure of talent, thoughtfulness, and dedication.

To be secure in memory, as Bob Lange was today, is a measure of humanity, vividly evoked by a large and tearful group of colleagues who gathered to remember him following his sudden death Sunday at the age of 60.

In journalism, which requires a balance of so many elements, ideas and patterns of human conduct, Bob was a source of unusual strength.

"He pushed for perfection, but also was known as a caring person who wanted to use his craft to change the world for the better," said David Westin, the president of ABC News. "The void he leaves cannot be filled."

Bob died of a heart attack while jogging in his neighborhood. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; a daughter, Emily; twin sons, David and Michael; his father, Monroe Lange and siblings Steve Lange and Elinor Abraham.

"We all knew Bob as a supremely talented journalist and maker of important news programming," said David Sloan, the executive producer of ABC News magazines. "We have also known him to provide a gentle, reasoned voice to critical issues facing the magazines -- hard to do in our often chaotic profession."

Bob was a senior broadcast producer. That meant he had to work astride the chaotic worlds of producers, reporters and crews who do the work of gathering and editing stories; and the executive staff that decides how the stories fit into the tone and policy of a show and make it unique. In military terms, he would have been half-officer, half-enlisted. He seemed equally at home in both worlds, and equally skilled. Because of that, his input was pivotal.

"Good Morning America" anchor Diane Sawyer said she would remember Bob "sitting at his desk, with stacks of books and papers around him, a friendlier version of one of those oracles you'd climb the mountain to meet."

"There were depths inside him -- kindness, conviction, and the mysterious things that gave him insight into a complex world," Sawyer said. "He was the definition of a cornerstone. Solid. Reassuring. Aware of the whole architecture. Not seeking the spotlight, but holding all of us in place."

During his career, Bob had filled many roles. He originally joined ABC News in 1981 as a consumer investigative producer working with John Stossel on "20/20." He then worked for a time at CBS for "60 Minutes" and as a senior producer at "48 Hours."