Former WCMH anchor Mike Jackson has died at 66.
Jackson joined the Columbus, Ohio NBC station in 1994. During his time there, he worked as an anchor and consumer reporter until a stroke ended his career in 2019.
“It’s a simple thing, like walking, that we all take for granted,” Jackson said in 2019. “There is a sequence to walking that I never realized before. Retraining my brain to do things at certain times. We take all this for granted. The brain is the main computer of the body. And it’s not just the physical rehabilitation, but also the neuro, try to get it all reconnected again.”
While rehabilitating from his stroke, Jackson was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.
“I had a career where I used my voice for more than 40 years of employment, public speaking and helping others. This was very hard for me to come to terms with,” Jackson wrote. “At the James Cancer Hospital, I would whisper a soft prayer for those in the hospital. There is little time for self-pity. I realized there are other brave souls fighting a different cause.”
Jackson is survived by his wife of 45 years, Dawn, two daughters, Nicole Jackson Tubbs and Courtney Jackson Earlwine, nine grandchildren, and a cousin whom he viewed as a brother, Norman “Eddie” Jackson.