SAN FRANCISCO -- The Bay Area news community is mourning the loss of beloved veteran television and radio news anchor Pete Wilson.

Wilson, 62, died Friday night of a massive heart attack suffered during hip replacement surgery at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, according to KGO-TV, ABC-7.

Wilson co-anchored the 6 p.m. weekday KGO-TV, ABC-7 newscast since 2002 and hosted a daily afternoon talk show for KGO-AM 810 NewsTalk since 2000. Before that, Wilson anchored newscasts for KRON-4 in San Francisco beginning in 1990 and KXTL-TV in Sacramento.

Wilson lived in Marin County.

He leaves behind his wife, Sandra, his son, Brendan, and many grieving colleagues who considered him a friend both inside and outside of the newsroom.

"Pete was one of the most valued and respected news professionals in the Bay Area and the country," said ABC-7 President and General Manager Valari Staab said today. "For more than 30 years, he was welcomed into the homes of thousands of local viewers reporting on every major news event that touched their lives. This is a deep loss both personally and professional for all of his friends and colleagues at Channel 7 and for me."

Wilson was born and raised in central Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in journalism and creative writing.

Wilson, a veteran of Bay Area television and radio news, was also a Vietnam veteran who got his start in broadcast journalism on a small country-western station in Milwaukee while attending graduate school. His stint in Milwaukee marked the beginning of a broadcasting career that spanned more than three decades, a large part of which was spent in the Bay Area.

"Pete Wilson had a passionate commitment to ethical, responsible journalism. He never hesitated to question the status quo and take on the conventional wisdom of the day," Vice President of ABC-7 News Kevin Keeshan said.

"Pete was a rare talent who took his listeners on a fascinating daily journey through the day's important events, demanding critical and balanced analysis from all sides of an issue," added KGO Radio President and Manager Mickey Luckoff.

Colleagues said Wilson's reputation for careful and critical reporting made him a standout amongst his peers.

"In an industry where broadcasters' opinions are often predictable, Pete always looked at issues with fresh eyes," KGO Radio Operations Director Jack Swanson said.

Wilson received a number of broadcast journalism honors, including the Peabody Award, several Emmy Awards and many local and national awards.