Remembering Michael Rosenbaum

Michael Rosenbaum, an award-winning CBS News producer who was the Tel Aviv bureau chief during the First Palestinian Intifada and produced stories for all of the news division's broadcasts over a 27-year career with CBS, died last week. He was 64 and died at home in Manhattan of a brain tumor diagnosed last September.

Rosenbaum was best known for his collaborations with correspondents Bob Simon and Dan Rather on breaking stories in the Middle East while he was bureau chief in Tel Aviv from 1989 to 1995.

"He was one of the very few people I've known who didn't have a single illusion about himself; not a trace of egotism or narcissism," said Simon. "What I don't think he knew and what I hope he realized over the last six months, is how many friends he had, how many of us loved him. Michael tried to conceal his loving, compassionate nature beneath a crusty exterior. He never quite succeeded."

His skills and experience eventually earned him a role as a news magazine producer for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, where he produced for Simon, Rather and each of the correspondents on the two broadcasts for 13 years. During this period, Rosenbaum also spent a year at the CBS Evening News as a senior producer.

He broke news in 2001 with a 60 Minutes II interview of the brother of convicted Cold War spy Ethel Rosenberg, who said he lied in testimony that helped send his sister to the electric chair. The story won Rosenbaum his fourth Emmy. He also reported on the Tulsa Riots, taking another look at a story of racism and segregation that had been buried in history.

In addition to these historical investigations, Rosenbaum was also known for his breaking news pieces. Rosenbaum produced an interview with Ted Kaczynski's brother and mother after they reported him to the FBI.

Watch these pieces here at 60 Minutes Overtime: