Allen Honigberg, lover of the written word and an exceptional journalist, died Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Gahanna, Ohio. He was 76 years old. 

Born in 1946 to parents Frances and Norman Honigberg, in Cleveland, Ohio, Allen was a longtime journalist and literary enthusiast, with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and travel. 

This veteran broadcaster and writer began his career in Columbus, Ohio as a late night disc jockey at a local jazz radio station and later at WTVN news radio, where he was an editor and on-air radio personality. He moved to New York City and edited for ABC News Radio, before becoming an editor and writer for ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Allen’s final and most beloved position was head writer for “CBS This Morning.” 

Allen also had an extraordinary appreciation for music. He wrote a documentary film about jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, entitled “A Night in Havana: Dizzy Gillespie in Cuba,” which won the Chicago International Film Festival award for Best Documentary. He loved and had a vast knowledge of jazz, opera, blues, and classical music. 

Allen’s adventurous and curious nature took him abroad whenever possible, and some of his destinations included Brazil, Cuba, and France. Allen had a passion for cooking and considered himself a “very serious home chef.” Allen was friends with Anthony Bourdain and a connoisseur of brilliant and eclectic restaurants around the world. Allen would talk about food and cooking as if he were writing a love story, as this was his relationship with all things culinary. 

Allen is survived by his children, Nicole Honigberg and Renee (Douglas) Smith, as well as brother, Jerry (Debra) Honigberg, Gloria Gutter (mother of Nicole and Renee), and grandchildren Mason (Lisa), Mikenna, Mikayla, Olivia, Evan, Liam, and Brendan. Allen is preceded in death by his brother Victor “Larry” Honigberg as well as both of his parents. 

Close friends and family members will be organizing an online Celebration of Life at a later date.