Vinod Mehta, one of India's most influential editors, passed away on Sunday morning in New Delhi due to multiple-organ failure.
Mehta had been ailing for several months and was on ventilator for the past few weeks. He breathed his last on 8 March at Delhi's AIIMS hospital. He died of multi-organ failure, AIIMS spokesperson Amit Gupta said, reported IBNLive.
In his distinguished career, Mehta successfully launched a number of publications such as the ‘Sunday Observer’, ‘Indian Post’, ‘The Independent’, ‘The Pioneer (Delhi edition) and, finally, ‘Outlook’. Outlook Magazine, where spent 17 years, issued a statement announcing with deep regret the passing of its Editorial Chairman.
"All through his long innings as editor, writer and a television talking head, Mr Mehta brought trademark wit, candour, and non-partisanship to the table, endearing him to readers and viewers, and to friends and foes, across the country and across the globe. Rare is the rival who can’t find a good word," the statement said.
"An undisguised cricket fanatic and foodie, Mr Mehta was a magnet of tasteful gossip which he deftly let loose into the system through his widely read diaries on the last page of Outlook. Mr Mehta disliked hyperbole and big words. His motto in journalism was to make the important interesting, but Indian journalism is decidedly poorer today with the disappearance of a lodestar of professional integrity, on whom could easily be placed the sobriquet The Last Great Editor," the statement added.
Vinod Mehta spoke to Anuradha SenGupta in 2011 about his book "Lucknow Boy: A Memoir", which is a candid account of his four decade long journalistic career and he also shared his views on the news media in India.