Veteran WISN 12 journalist Mike Anderson passes away It is with heavy hearts that we report longtime WISN 12 News journalist Mike Anderson has passed away. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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TONIGHT AT 6:00, RIGHT AFTER WORLD NEWS TONIGHT. >> I WOULD SAY LET THE VOICE DO THE WORK FOR YOU. YOU HAVE THE TOOLS. LET THAT VOICE CARRIED. YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUSH TOO HARD. TOYA: THAT’S OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE MIKE ANDERSON PLAYING THE ROLE OF JUDGE AT AMERICAN IDOL AUDITIONS IN MILWAUKEE BACK IN 2017. MIKE WAS NOT ONLY A JOURNALIST, BUT A RECORDING ARTIST AS WELL. AS WE REPORTED AT THE TOP OF THIS NEWSCAST, WE LOST OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE, MIKE ANDERSON, SUDDENLY TODAY. 12 NEWS KENT WAINSCOTT REJOINS US. KENT, THIS IS A LOSS TO, NOT JUST THE 12 NEWS FAMILY, BUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. >> WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE SAYING KIND WORDS ABOUT MIKE ANDERSON, TODAY WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER. HE WAS ABOVE ALL A KIND, GENEROUS MAN. AS WE HAVE SHOWN YOU, HE WAS A GREAT STORYTELLER, WHO HELPED MENTOR A COUPLE OF GENERATIONS OF JOURNALISTS. MIKE LEFT A LASTING MARK ON MILWAUKEE, BOTH ON AND OFF THE AIR. >> YOU ARE WATCHING SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN’S NUMBER 110:00 NEWS. >> HELLO, I’M MIKE ANDERSON. AFTER OPRAH, THE NEWS IS LIVE AT 5:00. >> FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES, SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN WELCOMED MIKE ANDERSON INSIDE THEIR HOMES AND THEIR LIVES. >> HE BECAME FAMILY, AND HE IS AN IRREPLACEABLE LOSS. >> WHETHER IT WAS A COVERING SAD OR DIFFICULT NEWS OR SHARING THE FUN OF SUMMERFEST OR STATE FAIR. >> WE WILL SEE YOU A LITTLE BIT LATER THIS MORNING. WE HAVE MORE GOOD NEWS COMING UP IN A LITTLE BIT. >> MIKE’S CARE AND COMPASSION ALWAYS SHINED THROUGH IN HIS STORYTELLING AND WITH EVERYONE HE EVERY ONE HE EVER MET. >> MIKE AND I WERE LIKE BROTHERS. >> MIKE’S FRIEND AND FORMER WISN-12 CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER CARY EDWARDS SPOKE ON BEHALF OF MIKE’S FAMILY BECAUSE CARY AND HIS WIFE BONNIE WERE LIKE FAMILY TO MIKE. CARY RECALLED MIKE’S SUCCESSFUL SINGING CAREER, AND MIKE GAVE US A SAMPLE DURING HIS RETIRMENT PARTY. >> ♪ I GUESS IT’S NATURE’S WAY ♪ >> EDWARDS SAYS MIKE’S SONGWRITING IS WHAT HELPED MAKE HIM A GREAT STORYTELLER. >> JUST LIKE HE WAS A MUSICIAN. THE WAY HE WROTE WAS LIKE MUSIC. >> HELLO. >> THERE YOU ARE. LOOK AT THAT. MY LAST CONVERSATION WITH MIKE WAS LAST FRIDAY, AND INTERVIEW ABOUT ANOTHER JOURNALIST AND FRIEND OF MIKE’S EUGENE KANE WHO HAD PASSED AWAY. >> MY HEART IS HEAVY RIGHT NOW. >> IT WAS ALSO THE LAST TIME OUR 12 NEWS VIEWERS SAW MIKE. HE SUFFERED A STROKE AND WAS HOSPITALIZED HOURS LATER. >> IT’S CRUSHING. IT’S JUST CRUSHING NEWS. >> TO VIEWERS OF 12 NEWS, PERHAPS NO ONE WAS MORE CLOSELY TIED TO MIKE ANDERSON THAN KATHY MYKLEBY. THEY SHARED THE ANCHOR DESK AND THEY SHARED INTERVIEWS. >> PHENOMENAL PERSONALITY. YES, YOU ARE. >> AND THEY SHARED A DECADES LONG FRIENDSHIP. >> WHEN YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MEET SOMEONE LIKE MIKE ANDERSON AT WORK, AND THEY BECOME YOUR FRIEND FOR LIFE, I MISS MY MICHAEL A. AND I WILL FOREVER. >> I’M MIKE ANDERSON. >> REPORTING LIVE AT MILLER PARK, GREEN BAY SHERMAN PARK, GREENFIELD. >> ALRIGHT, GUYS. BE WELL. >> YOU TOO. >> BYE-BYE. >> YET, HE WILL BE MISSED BY EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY HIS FAMILY. HE CARED SO DEEPLY FOR THEM. THOSE WHO KNEW MIKE PERSONALLY, OFF-CAMERA, REMEMBER HIS KINDNESS AND HIS SMILE. THOSE THROUGHOUT THE AREA WHO REMEMBER HIM ONLY ON CAMERA, REMEMBER HIS STYLE, AND IT ALWAYS INCLUDED ONE THING, HIS SIGNATURE HAT. SO I THOUGHT I’D SIGN OFF IN MIKE ANDER

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