` ` 60 Minutes '' ' : And within the `` 60 Minutes '' offices , his absence will be felt especially keenly : the twinkle in his eye , the joke , the story , just Bob being Bob , all of that gone in an instant . Simon died in a car accident 1980 . Dan Rather : He was one of the best writers ever to work in TV journalism .
` ` 60 Minutes '' ' : Simon died in a car accident 1980 . Dan Rather : He was one of the best writers ever to work in TV journalism .