Thomson, best known for her high-profile interviews with politicians and celebrities,

died on Sunday morning surrounded by her family after a long battle with cancer, CTV News reported. She was 61.

Thomson joined CTV News Toronto as a reporter, where she most recently worked as a CTV News Channel anchor after working on-air for the network’s morning show Canada AM. She also worked as a news anchor for Global News from 1997 to 2003.

Last October, Thomson was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada.
When presented the award, then-RTDNA Canada president Lis Travers called Thomson “one of Canada’s most respected news personalities.”

Her career spanned over 30 years and included coverage

of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and featured interviews with Celine Dion,

Shania Twain, Donald Trump and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Richard Gray, vice-president of news at Bell Media, said Thomson was a

“trusted voice and a valued teammate to all of us at CTV News” in a statement on Sunday.