Former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, who oversaw the story that toppled President Richard Nixon, has died aged 93.
Bradlee died at his Washington DC home of natural causes, just weeks after revealing he had begun hospice care after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.
As executive editor of the paper from 1968 until 1991, Bradlee was one of the most important figures in Washington and became part of journalism history through his role in the Watergate scandal coverage.
He guided young reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they traced a 1972 burglary at Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate office back to the Nixon White House.
President Barack Obama led the tributes, saying: "For Benjamin Bradlee, journalism was more than a profession - it was a public good vital to our democracy.
"The standard he set - a standard for honest, objective, meticulous reporting - encouraged so many others to enter the profession. And that standard is why, last year, I was proud to honour Ben with the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Watergate scandal, which forced Mr Nixon to quit under threat of impeachment in 1974.
Bradlee has since been lauded for giving Woodward and Bernstein licence to pursue the scandal and its cover-up vigorously.
He approved their use of the unidentified "Deep Throat" source and the newspaper published around 400 articles about Watergate over 28 months.
Its coverage, along with the book and movie about it, All The President's Men, inspired a generation of investigative reporters.
Bradlee once told the American Journalism Review: "I think the great lesson of Watergate was probably the stick-tuitiveness of the Post.
"The fact that we hunkered down and backed the right horse. I think that was a wonderful lesson for publishers, too."
It was not the only time Bradlee helped upset presidents.
In 1972, the Post joined the New York Times in publishing stories based on the Pentagon Papers, a secret government account of Vietnam War decisions, despite heavy legal pressure.
The newspaper also uncovered details of the Iran-Contra scandal that rocked Ronald Reagan's presidency.
He was also friends with former president John F Kennedy, who had been his neighbour when Bradlee was a Newsweek correspondent.
In 1975 he wrote a book called Conversations With Kennedy.
Always well-dressed, he cut a dashing figure in the newsroom, where he reigned with a fiery and brusque demeanour, sharp wit and swagger.
Woodward described Bradlee as "Kirk Douglas as a submarine commander".
Bernstein told CNN that Bradlee was, "the most galvanising, remarkable figure to work with and for".
"You know those are kinds of cliches that people use, except this time it's really the case," he said.
"His life was really about the truth."
Bradlee leaves behind his third wife, former Post reporter Sally Quinn.
He had three sons and a daughter.
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