Share and Follow
Family, friends, and colleagues fondly remembered Mann as a meticulous professional and a compassionate individual who seamlessly combined his passion for journalism with genuine care for those around him.
Originally hailing from Georgia, Mann met his wife, Mimi, at the University of Georgia’s journalism school. He was a devoted fan of the Georgia Bulldogs.
“Apart from family, it was his greatest passion,” shared his daughter, Samantha Rudolph.
After earning his degree, Mann attended officer candidate school and became a naval officer, serving four years at a base in the Philippines and at the Pentagon.
Once his naval service concluded, Mann began his career with the Associated Press in Louisville, Kentucky. He later worked at the AP’s New York headquarters and various other locations across the United States before spending a decade as the Cairo bureau chief.
“He would sit in his office in the back, smoking cigars, feet on the desk, reading copy,” his daughter remembers. “He was just surrounded by incredible people who looked up to him in every way.”
While in Cairo, an early 1990s trip to Somalia — ravaged by famine and warfare — left even the veteran correspondent traumatized.
“It was seeing the hunger and the deprivation, the remnants of war,” his daughter remembered. “He refused to talk about it. He saw things that he didn’t want to talk about.”
Mann was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 and died of a virus in a memory care facility, said Mimi Mann, his wife of more than 60 years.
Despite the disease, she said, “he kept his love of journalism.”
Mann’s most fondly remembered interview took place when he was working at the AP’s Louisville, Kentucky, bureau and met boxer Cassius Clay, who went on to become world champion Muhammad Ali.
“He interviewed countless heads of state, talked to everybody and what stood out was Muhammad Ali,” his daughter Rudolph said. “He always said that without a doubt his best and favorite interview was Muhammad Ali.”
Ken Guggenheim, one of Mann’s former editors, said that, “Billy was just the consummate AP man. He was just a stickler for details, determined that the grammar was right, the style was right and that the story would be perfect when it would hit the wire.”
Above all, however, Mann’s kind and generous personality set him apart, they said.
“Everyone loved Billy,” Guggenheim said. “He was someone who showed you could be a great journalist and a great person at the same time.”
Mann is survived by his wife, daughter, son and four grandchildren.