[1] Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Reynolds attended Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond and Wabash College in Crawfordsville.

Reynolds served in the U.S. Army during World War II; he was a staff sergeant (E-6) in the infantry and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Reynolds, still an evening news anchor, soon tired of the grind of the extended hours and was replaced by one of his revolving substitutes, Ted Koppel, then the network's chief diplomatic correspondent.

[7][8][9] One famous moment in Reynolds' career occurred on March 30, 1981, during live news coverage of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

[10] Later, Brady, a close friend of Reynolds, was erroneously reported by all three networks as having died from the head wound he suffered in the incident.

[11] Upon learning that the information regarding Brady was incorrect, Reynolds suddenly appeared noticeably upset and, looking around at staffers in the background, angrily burst out: "Let's get it nailed down ...somebody ...let's....find out!

"[15] Reynolds' last broadcast was April 20, 1983, and, despite promises of his return by substitute anchormen, he never did, dying from hepatitis-induced liver failure at Sibley Memorial Hospital on July 20, 1983, at the age of 59.

Reynolds had injured his upper left femur in the Florida surf in January while on vacation and fell on it after slipping on ice in a mid-February snowstorm.