the show. A year later (1980), Leonard moved over to CNN, where he hosted People Tonight, the network's first Los Angeles-based live entertainment news talk show. Many of today's major name celebrities made their first national talk show appearances on People Tonight. including Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Pee Wee Herman. The show was groundbreaking in its coverage of Hollywood red carpet premieres and many important breaking stories including the deaths of John Lennon and Natalie Wood. Robin Leach cut his teeth as a New York-based correspondent before signing on to do Entertainment Tonight and later launching the pop culture hit series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. In the mid-to-late 1980s, Leonard co-hosted CNN's weekday entertainment-news program "Showbiz Today" with Liz Wickersham. Later career From 1996 to approximately 2002, Lee Leonard hosted Jersey's Talking on News 12 New Jersey. Leonard also hosted a public affairs program on the New Jersey-based cable network CN8. Personal life Leonard was married to actress Kelly Bishop, who played Emily Gilmore on the CW show Gilmore Girls as well as Marjorie Houseman in Dirty Dancing. He was married twice previously, including once to actress Salome Jens. He had one daughter. He died in South Orange, New Jersey, on December 16, 2018. References 1929 births 2018 deaths Television personalities from New York City People from South Orange, New Jersey American television sports announcers National Football League announcers College basketball announcers in the United States College football announcers CNN people