Wendt joined the ground-breaking current affairs program in 1982, three years after Negus, Ray Martin and Ian Leslie were handpicked by executive producer Gerald Stone to launch the show.
The Project host said Negus had been a generous mentor when she she first joined the Today show in an Instagram post that featured a picture of the pair together.
Ian Leslie, who became a household name while reporting for 60 Minutes with Ray Martin and Negus, said he learnt of his old friend and colleague s condition with deep sadness .
The 79-year-old, who was one of the three original reporters on 60 Minutes when the show launched in Australia in 1979, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease.