The CBS team is mourning the loss of one of their own.
Katie Spikes—an Emmy-winning news producer and 60 Minutes story editor—died after a five-year cancer battle on July 25, the network has announced. She was 53.
Before joining their broadcasting team, Spikes worked a talent producer for CNN's Larry King Live in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
During her three decades at CBS, she won Emmy Award for her contribution to CBS News' coverage on Princess Diana's 1997 death, with the organization noting that helped land interviews with a wide range of celebs including former President Barack Obama and Michael Phelps, according to the organization.
Spikes is survived by her parents, sister, husband Donald, sons James and Owen and stepson Brandon.
"60 Minutes has lost a very dear friend and colleague," executive producer Bill Owens said in a July 27 statement. "Katie was such an important force on the ninth floor [home of 60 Minutes] that it is hard to put into words. She was the relentless positive energy that everyone sought out."
Owens noted Spikes as being "smart, funny, hardworking, and a genius friend and mentor."
"I valued Katie's opinion," he continued, "because she wasn't afraid to take the other side of an argument and always had impeccable taste."
60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi remembered Spikes as "a talented producer, a fearless newsroom diplomat and an irreplaceable and unwavering friend."
"Katie loved to amplify the stories of underdogs from all walks of life," she said in the statement shared by the network online. "In the sometimes dark and heavy newsroom, Katie Spikes was joy and light. She is irreplaceable."