Dr. Max Gomez Tributes Paid After CBS NY Medical Correspondent's Death

Medical journalist Dr. Max Gomez, known to millions of TV viewers for his health reports for various outlets spanning decades, has died at the age of 72.

CBS New York, where Gomez had served as chief medical correspondent, confirmed the news on Monday. The 72-year-old, a father of two, passed away on Saturday following a long illness, the station revealed. The nature of the illness itself was not disclosed.

Gomez was a well-known presence in viewers' homes, with a broadcasting career spanning various networks including WNBC-TV, WNEW-TV and KYW-TV in Philadelphia. He went on to serve as medical reporter and health editor for WCBS-TV from 1994-1997, before he returned as chief medical correspondent in June 2007. Towards the end of his career, he became known as "a steady voice of reason during the COVID-19 pandemic," CBS New York said in a statement as the channel paid tribute to their colleague.

"Dr. Gomez was deeply loved and respected in our newsroom, by medical professionals he worked with, patients who shared their stories with him and our viewers," the statement said. "He was our in-house consultant for whatever ailed us, eager to help, genuinely concerned, and never thought twice about going the extra mile... He could converse on anything—sports, travel, current events, the mundane or esoteric. He was a friend, trusted advisor, and confidant to us all. It seemed like there wasn't anything he didn't know or hadn't experienced himself."

An eight-minute video tribute to Gomez has been posted on CBS's website commemorating his life and work in a moving obituary. The station shared the news online with a post on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Gomez was born in Cuba but his family emigrated to Miami, Florida, when he was still very young. He excelled academically and graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a Ph.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, before going to become a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University.

He went on to work in broadcasting and enjoyed a glittering career that saw him win multiple New York Emmy Awards, Philadelphia Emmys, and a UPI honor for Best Documentary for a report on AIDS. He won other awards too, including the American Health Foundation's Man of the Year, and an Excellence in a Time of Crisis Award from the New York City Health Department after 9/11, an honor he particularly cherished, CBS said.

Earlier in his career, Gomez was selected as a NASA Journalist In Space semi-finalist in 1986, when the space agency planned to allow reporters to perform their work alongside astronauts on the space shuttle — although the project was later scrapped over safety fears following the fatal Challenger disaster.

Grieving colleagues have shared their memories of Gomez on social media. CBS New York reporter Tony Aiello posted on X: "Dr Max Gomez. His intelligence, exceeded only by his caring heart. A fount of wisdom during the pandemic for viewers and the CBS2 staff. Always on call to help when our loved ones faced health challenges. Máximo, may perpetual light and eternal rest be your reward."

While Bruce Beck, lead sports anchor at WNBC-TV, shared his fond memories of an amusing prank Gomez once played on him, writing: "RIP Max Gomez. May he forever soar on Eagle's Wings. 'Dr. Max' was a special colleague & friend. I'll never forget when he put 15 bottles of white out on my desk at @NBCNewYork after I put the substance in my eyes at the MLB All-Star game in Boston. Condolences to his family."

Gomez is survived by his two children, Max Gomez IV and Katie Gomez.