Emilio Fede, one of Italy's most recognisable television journalists, has died at the age of 94, Italian media report.

Born on June 24, 1931, in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, in the province of Messina, Fede began his career as a special correspondent for Rai, spending eight years reporting from Africa.

He later went on to direct TG1, and at Mediaset he became director of both Studio Aperto and TG4.

On January 16, 1991, under his leadership, Studio Aperto - on its very first day of broadcasting on Italia Uno - made Italian television history by being the first newscast in the country to announce live the start of Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War.

In 1965, Fede married journalist Diana De Feo, who later served as a senator and was the daughter of writer Italo De Feo. She passed away in 2021 after a long illness.