Gwen Ifill, one of the nation's most prominent African-American journalists, has died after several months of cancer treatment, PBS confirmed Monday.

Ifill, 61, was moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week" and co-anchor and managing editor of the "PBS NewsHour."  In 2009, she also wrote a political book President Obama, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.

"It is with extreme sadness that we share the news that Gwen Ifill passed away earlier today surrounded by family and friends," according to a statement from Paula Kerger, PBS' CEO. "Gwen was one of America’s leading lights in journalism and a fundamental reason public media is considered a trusted window on the world by audiences across the nation."

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