Former NBC News reporter and A&E "Biography" host Jack Perkins died Monday at age 85.

Perkins served as a reporter, commentator and anchor for "NBC Nightly News" and "Today" during his 25 years with the network. His live reporting included coverage of President Kennedy's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963.

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Early in his career at NBC, Perkins worked under anchor David Brinkley, who helped Perkins shape his understated on-air style of allowing the story to be the primary focus, instead of the reporter.

“What Brinkley taught me was a master class in how TV news should be written,” Perkins said in 2012 interview. “Say less, mean more. If a story is dramatic, you don’t have to tell it dramatically. Be simple. Direct. None of this, ‘The nation suffered a great tragedy’ nonsense.”

After retiring from NBC in 1986, Perkins went on to host the popular A&E series "Biography."

Perkins is survived by his wife and three children, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, including his son Eric, who followed his father into journalism and works as sports director at KARE-TV, an NBC affiliate in Minneapolis.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Perkins's survivors.

Updated: 7:50 p.m.