WASHINGTON — We continue to celebrate and honor the memory of beloved WUSA9 journalist Bruce Johnson, who died on April 3 after a heart attack. Sunday would have been Johnson's 72nd birthday.
His family has established a tribute page to celebrate their beloved husband, father, friend, mentor and author and the website provides ways to honor the memory of the man who loved to give and help others himself.
On www.cBruceJohnson.org visitors can contribute to two organizations that were important to him - the Lymphoma Research Foundation and The American Heart Association.
The tribute page also provides a portal where viewers will be able to watch Monday's celebration of life service for Bruce.
Please share your memories of Bruce on Twitter by using the hashtag #CBJmemorial and tagging the accompanying memorial Twitter page @CBJ_memorial.
The Johnson family is participating in the American Heart Association & American Stroke Association’s Tribute Program as a way to honor Bruce. Bruce had a very personal connection to this cause and the family hopes you will help them continue to support Bruce's commitment to the organization.
Bruce was also affected by lymphoma, having battled and recovered from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In his memory, the Johnson family supports the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) - a foundation dedicated to supporting the lymphoma community and helping to ensure a brighter future for all those impacted by this blood cancer.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Lori, three children -- Brandon, Kurshanna and Carolyn -- and four grandchildren.
Johnson devoted 44 years of his professional life to telling remarkable stories for WUSA9 from March 16, 1976, through his retirement on Dec. 31, 2020. He was the author of three books: “Heart to Heart,” “All or Nothing” and “Surviving Deep Waters.”
Over the course of his career, Johnson won 22 Emmys, was a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame, the Washington, DC Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky. He was honored with nearly every journalism award of distinction, including the Ted Yates Award and the NATAS Board of Governors Award and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Press Club.
He filed special reports from Rome, Bangkok, Moscow, Budapest and Cuba. He has received hundreds of civic awards from DC organizations, from the city’s mayors and a Resolution in his honor from the DC City Council.
We are eternally thankful for Johnson’s endless contributions over the years, and he will be deeply missed by his television family, many of whom counted Johnson as one of their closest friends.