Susan Stamberg, a longtime fixture at National Public Radio who made history by becoming the first female broadcaster in the U.S. to host a national news program, died Thursday at the age of 87, reports say.

NPR announced Stamberg’s death but no cause was reported.

“Susan’s voice was not only a cornerstone of NPR — it was a cornerstone of American life,” NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said, according to PBS NewsHour . “She showed that journalism could be both rigorous and deeply personal. She inspired countless journalists to believe they could explore life and truth, and lead with both authority and warmth.”

Stamberg is described as one of the “original mothers” of NPR, joining the network in the early 1970s as it was just getting started. She became host of “All Things Consi

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