Adam Pemble, an Associated Press video journalist who covered some of the biggest global news of the past two decades, from earthquakes and conflicts to political summits and elections, has died. He was 52.
Pemble died Thursday in Minneapolis surrounded by friends and family, according to his friend Mike Moe, who helped care for him in the final weeks of his fight against cancer.
Known for bringing stories alive with his camera, Pemble epitomized the best of television news traditions, casting a curious and compassionate lens onto the lives of the people and communities whose stories he told.
He joined the AP in 2007 in New York before moving to Prague in 2011 to help launch AP鈥檚 first cross-format operation combining photography, text stories and video. He enhanced Eastern European news coverage, creating distinctive stories highlighting the region鈥檚 culture and society.
鈥淎dam was an incredibly talented and passionate journalist and an empathetic storyteller. He had this amazing ability to get anyone to talk to him on camera, which I attribute to the Midwestern charm he embodied throughout his life.鈥� said Sara Gillesby, AP鈥檚 Director of Global Video and Pemble鈥檚 former manager in New York when he joined the AP. 鈥淗e was the best of us.鈥�
Pemble was born in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, in 1972 and grew up in Minneapolis. After graduating with a degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead, he started his journalism career in 1997 at KVLY, a television station in Fargo, North Dakota, and later worked at WCCO in Minneapolis.
鈥淗e had the skills of the old-school camera people to meet a deadline and turn a beautiful story,鈥� said Arthur Phillips, a cameraman who worked with Pemble at WCCO. 鈥淏ut he had a calling for greater things.鈥�
Moving to New York, Pemble covered some of the biggest stories in the city, including the trial of Bernie Madoff, interviews with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with then-real estate developer, now U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump.
He went to Haiti to cover the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, where he captured shocking images of devastation. A few weeks later he was in Vancouver, covering the Winter Olympics.
With his transfer to Prague, Pemble quickly became the go-to video journalist deployed to the biggest news events in Europe, interviewing government leaders, covering violent protests, the aftermath of terror attacks and numerous national elections across the continent.
鈥淎n inquiring mind, a keen eye and a healthy skepticism for those in power who tried to spin away from the truth all combined to make Adam鈥檚 stories as rich in colour as he was in character,鈥� said Sandy MacIntyre, former AP head of global video. 鈥淭ime and again he was asked to do the impossible and without fail he delivered the exceptional.鈥�
鈥滲ut more than all of that, he was the colleague and friend you wanted by your side because if Adam was there we knew we were going to be the winning team.鈥�
As civil unrest rocked Ukraine in 2014, Pemble reported from Kyiv and later Donetsk, where he covered the first Russian-backed demonstrations before spending weeks in Crimea during Russia鈥檚 annexation of the strategic peninsula.
His video reports included the last remaining Ukrainian sailors loyal to Kyiv, who had finally abandoned their ship and came ashore. With the Russian national anthem playing from a car in the background, his final shot showed two distraught sailors heckled as they walked away.
Pemble returned to Ukraine following Russia鈥檚 invasion of the country in 2022. Among his many assignments was March 2023 AP interview by Executive Editor Julie Pace with across Ukraine to cities near some of the fiercest fighting.
鈥淎dam showed up to every assignment with enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to his work and his colleagues. He loved what he did, and so many of us at AP are better for having worked alongside him,鈥� Pace said.
When not deployed overseas, set his camera鈥檚 gaze on his new home in the Czech Republic, offering insight into the traditions and unique stories of Eastern Europe. From Christmas carp fishing at sunrise to graffiti artists in Prague to the intimate story of a Slovak priest challenging the celibacy rules of the Catholic Church, he brought his unmistakable style.
He worked with a traditional large broadcast camera in an era where many video shooters shifted to smaller, lighter cameras. He always put himself in the right place to let reality unfold like 鈥渁n old school analog painter in an often fast and furious digital age,鈥� former AP cameraman Ben Jary recalled.
Pemble鈥檚 interest in visual storytelling led to experimenting with new technologies, including aerial videography. In 2015, he was the first major news agency camera operator to film live drone footage when reporting on the migration crisis in the Balkans.
An avid gardener who planted trees and chilis on his rooftop in Prague, he was adventurous in the kitchen and especially proud of his vegan 鈥渕eatloaf,鈥� friends said. He loved a seedy dive bar as much as a Michelin restaurant and foods as varied as charcoal choux pastry with truffle creme and his favourite road trip junk food, Slim Jim鈥檚 jerky and Salted Nut Rolls.
Pemble鈥檚 wit, wisdom, energy and positivity enriched the lives and experiences of those around him, friends and colleagues recalled.
鈥淚f someone asked me to see a picture of quiet strength and courage, dignity and grace, and most of all kindness, I would show them a picture of a man for all seasons,鈥� said Dan Huff, a Washington-based AP video journalist, 鈥淚 would show them a picture of Adam Pemble.鈥�
