Terry Anderson, American Journalist Held Hostage for Years, Dies at 76

Terry Anderson, a Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press who was held hostage for nearly seven years in Lebanon during the 1980s, died on Sunday, his daughter Sulome Anderson told Newsweek.

The Context

Anderson was born in Lorain, Ohio, on October 27, 1947. After graduating from high school, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant and completed two tours during the Vietnam War, according to the AP.

Following his military service, he studied at Iowa State University where he graduated with a double major in journalism and political science. He was hired by the AP and reported from various locations across the globe, including Japan and South Africa. Anderson went to Lebanon in 1982, just as conflict began erupting in the country.

"Actually, it was the most fascinating job I've ever had in my life," he previously told The Review. "It was intense. War's going on — it was very dangerous in Beirut. Vicious civil war, and I lasted about three years before I got kidnapped."

Anderson was working as the AP's Beirut bureau chief and had just dropped off his tennis partner, a photographer for the outlet, when the kidnapping occurred on March 16, 1985. A group of men, later identified as Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon, forced him into another vehicle. The militants beat the journalist, blindfolded him and kept him chained up in various hideaways for almost seven years.

What We Know

Anderson, who recounted his abduction and harrowing yearslong captivity by Islamic militants in his best-selling 1993 memoir Den of Lions died at the age of 76 at his home in Greenwood Lake, New York, Sulome Anderson told Newsweek on Sunday.

Anderson's daughter told the AP that her father died of complications from recent heart surgery.

"Though my father's life was marked by extreme suffering during his time as a hostage in captivity, he found a quiet, comfortable peace in recent years," Sulome Anderson told Newsweek. "I know he would choose to be remembered not by his very worst experience, but through his humanitarian work with the Vietnam Children's Fund, the Committee to Protect Journalists, homeless veterans and many other incredible causes."

Anderson is survived by his daughters Sulome and Gabrielle and their mother—"his ex-wife and best friend"—Madeleine Bassil, and his sister Judy and brother Jack.

"My family is obviously deeply grieving right now and we need some time to process our loss and organize a memorial," Sulome Anderson said. "We will announce one in time. Many thanks for all the heartfelt condolences we have received."

The Views

Numerous tributes honoring Anderson poured in on Sunday night, with many people praising the late journalist's bravery and courage.

Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of the AP, responded to the news of the former correspondent's death.

"Terry was deeply committed to on-the-ground eyewitness reporting and demonstrated great bravery and resolve, both in his journalism and during his years held hostage," Pace said. "We are so appreciative of the sacrifices he and his family made as the result of his work."

AP reporter Farnoush Amiri posted about Anderson's passing on on X, formerly Twitter, writing, "May we all feel this way in the end: Terry Anderson's daughter said, 'I saw him a week ago and my partner asked him if he had anything on his bucket list, anything that he wanted to do. He said, 'I've lived so much and I've done so much. I'm content.'"

Ted Anthony, AP's director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation, wrote on X: "Terry Anderson is one of the reasons I became an @AP reporter. His body of work in journalism and his courage during and after his captivity were guiding lights for young journalists. I am proud to be part of the AP generation that followed him."

Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times, also took to X, posting on the platform: "Terry Anderson, the A.P. journalist who spent six years chained in hideaways after Iranian-backed militants kidnapped him in Lebanon in 1985, has died at 76. RIP."

Christopher Voss, a former hostage negotiator for the FBI, shared an image of Anderson on X and captioned the post: "Rest in Peace Terry Anderson. You earned it. I am grateful to have crossed paths with you."

What's Next

Sulome Anderson told Newsweek on Sunday that the family will announce the details of a memorial after they have had time to mourn their loved one.

Update 4/21/24, 8:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comment from Sulome Anderson.