NEW YORK -- "A lot of Americans relied" on Peter Jennings, said President George W. Bush.

Speaking in Texas, Bush said he and first lady Laura Bush "were saddened" to hear of the death of the ABC News anchor.

Jennings, 67, announced April 5 that he had lung cancer. Fellow ABC News anchor Charles Gibson said Jennings died Sunday at his apartment.

Bush said Jennings "had a long and distinguished career as a news journalist," and was "a part of the life of a lot of our fellow citizens."

Ted Koppel remembers Jennings as a warm, "loving and surprisingly sentimental man."

"He just died much too young," said ABC News colleague Barbara Walters. "No one could ad lib like Peter."

Walter Cronkite remembers Jennings as a serious newsman -- with the emphasis on news.

The former CBS anchor recalled that Jennings was not "very tolerant" of the lighter or fluffier stories that can make their way into a news broadcast. He said Jennings was deeply devoted to the more serious stories that make up the news of the day.

Cronkite said Jennings' death is a "terrible loss to broadcast journalism" and to all of his many personal and "on-air" friends.

Cronkite said he is old enough to remember Jennings' father, whom he called a "very fine" Canadian journalist who taught his son quite a bit about the news business.

Jennings got his start in Canadian broadcasting and went to work for ABC more than 40 years ago. He became an American citizen in 2003. Jennings told The Associated Press at the time his decision had nothing to do with politics, but "everything to do" with his family.

Jennings' announcement four months ago that he would begin treatment for lung cancer came as a shock.

In a taped message, his voice husky, Jennings said: "I will continue to do the broadcast ... On good days, my voice will not always be like this."

But although Jennings occasionally went to the office, he never again appeared on the air.

With Tom Brokaw, on NBC, and Dan Rather, at CBS, Jennings was part of a triumvirate that dominated network news for more than two decades. His smooth delivery and years of international reporting experience made Jennings particularly popular among urban dwellers.

They were competitors for much of their TV careers, but Brokaw said Jennings "was our prince."

"Peter was born to be an anchor," Brokaw said.

Brokaw said the two formed an instant friendship when they first met in 1966. And Rather remembers Jennings as a fierce competitor, saying that "if Peter was in the area code, I didn't sleep."

In recent months, both Brokaw and Rather stepped down from the anchor desk, leaving Jennings out in front. But, soon after, he announced his illness on camera, and never made it back to his nightly news program.

Jennings was the face of ABC News whenever a big story broke. He logged more than 60 hours on the air during the week of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, offering a soothing sense of continuity during a troubled time.

ABC reported that in announcing Jennings' death to his colleagues, ABC News President David Westin wrote:

"For four decades, Peter has been our colleague, our friend, and our leader in so many ways. None of us will be the same without him.
"As you all know, Peter learned only this spring that the health problem he'd been struggling with was lung cancer. With Kayce, he moved straight into an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. He knew that it was an uphill struggle. But he faced it with realism, courage, and a firm hope that he would be one of the fortunate ones. In the end, he was not.
"We will have many opportunities in the coming hours and days to remember Peter for all that he meant to us all. It cannot be overstated or captured in words alone. But for the moment, the finest tribute we can give is to continue to do the work he loved so much and inspired us to do."

Jennings is survived by his wife, Kayce Freed, and his two children, Elizabeth, 25, and Christopher, 23.