I thought he worked recently
I have so many memories of the late 80s and early 90s. We’d watch TGIF comedy shows on friday followed by 20/20 with Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters.
He was an old man back then, so he lived a long life.
I remember him as host of the Today show and later 20/20. He was one of those folks you just had to like, IMHO. Sorry to know he’s gone.
99? Wow! He was one of those people who I thought would never die.
RIP.
I actually remember him in the 'Sixties hosting “Concentration” daytime game show. He was one of the very first public figures to avail himself of the newfangled hair transplant technique to avoid balding.
Then I remember him being on the “Today” show, and finally ending up with Barbara Walters on “20/20.”
One of the giants in television.
~VOW
The former host of 20/20 dies in 2020 
I knew him from 20/20, which I watched as a kid in the 1980s. His intelligence and curiosity were apparent in his reportage and commentaries.
He’s one of those faces that goes waaaaay back in TV history. He was Jack Paar’s announcer in the late 50s. And the first host of Concentration, one of the first game shows.
Peace, Hugh.
In my head I heard “I’m Hugh Downs and this is 2020” while reading this headline. Hang in there Barbara!
Back in the 1960s, he and his son sailed across the Pacific Ocean and he wrote a book about it, which I got at a used-book sale. I moved and gave it away before I had a chance to read it. Interlibrary loan, here I come.
I remember watching him in the late 70s / early 80s. He, along with Alex Trebek, was one of my mother’s “sweet babies” ( not that she phrased it like that). A gent and a great journalist. RIP, Mr. Downs.
::: cue theme from Twilight Zone :::
I remember him, all the way back to Jack Paar. My mom especially loved him.