Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, former stablemates at the national broadcaster and countless viewers have paid tribute to the veteran newsreader.
Morecroft died "at a time of his choosing" on NSW's south coast on Tuesday aged 70 following his cancer diagnosis earlier in 2026, his family said.
"We are devastated to lose such a warm, generous and caring human and hope that all those who knew him, if only through their TV screens, will remember him fondly," they wrote in a statement shared via Morecroft's Instagram page.
Morecroft moved from England to Australia aged 10, studying at the University of Adelaide before taking a post at the ABC via the university's radio station.
He presented ABC's South Australian news bulletin before moving to Sydney, where he went on to host the network's 7pm NSW news bulletin from 1983 to 2002.
Morecroft also hosted the quiz show Letters and Numbers on SBS and ABC's popular children's current affairs program Behind the News.
Mr Albanese described the former presenter as a consummate professional who also had heart.
"I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Richard Morecroft," he said on Wednesday.
"As the face and the voice of the news of the ABC, Richard became a beloved part of Australian life."
He reflected on revelations Morecroft, a passionate environmentalist, sometimes kept a baby flying fox under his desk while presenting the news.
"Richard was a great Australian and we were lucky to have him as part of our lives," Mr Albanese said.
Australian Story presenter and fellow ABC veteran Leigh Sales said Morecroft took pains to welcome her to the Sydney newsroom as a junior reporter.
"Richard Morecroft was not only a consummate presenter, he was a true gentleman – generous and courteous to a fault," she said.
"He was universally admired and respected."
Hugh Marks, ABC's managing director, said Morecroft was among the "great broadcasters of his generation".
Morecroft shared an update about his cancer diagnosis to social media in July after returning home to the south coast from a long stint in hospital.
"Soaking up the last rays of the winter sun on a chilly Jervis Bay afternoon," he wrote alongside a beachside selfie.
"It's heaven to come home after nearly six weeks in hospital at the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse in Sydney."
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