Les Smith, a veteran reporter whose familiar face and steady voice guided Memphis viewers through nearly 40 years of news, has died. He was 75.
His family said Smith died Wednesday morning after a brief battle with lung cancer, his family announced.
Smith’s path in journalism began in 1975 at a television station in Jefferson City, Missouri. Stops in Tampa and West Palm Beach, Florida, helped shape his craft before he made Memphis his home in 1983.
Over the next three decades, Smith worked at every major television station in the city. He first joined WMC-TV as a sports and news reporter, then moved to WREG-TV in 1985, where he spent seven years as a sports anchor and reporter. He later returned to the Memphis airwaves in 2000 with ABC 24 before becoming a household name at FOX13. For 14 years, Smith’s reporting brought both breaking news and human stories into the living rooms of thousands across the Mid-South. He retired from FOX13 in 2014 after covering more than 8,000 stories.
Known for his deep, reassuring delivery and no-nonsense approach, Smith earned the trust of viewers and the respect of colleagues.
Away from the camera, Smith cherished time with his family. He was married to Lisa Anderton Smith until her passing from cancer in 2024, and in his final days, he prioritized time with his grandchildren despite declining health.
He is survived by his two sons, Jason Smith and J.W. Smith, and his grandchildren, who remember him as both a storyteller and a devoted father and grandfather.
Jason Smith paid tribute to his father in a Facebook post Wednesday morning: “Les Smith: May 27, 1950 – September 17, 2025. One of the best to ever hold a mic in Memphis. We love you, Dad! Grateful for all the lives you touched in Memphis and beyond! J.W. Smith and I will do our best to carry on your legacy!”
Funeral arrangements will be announced by his family.
