CBS 60 Minutes newsman Ed Bradley lost his life to leukemia on November 9, 2006. And ever since news of his death reached the world, reactions have been overwhelming -- and like nothing correspondent Lesley Stahl has even seen.

"I've been around here a long time and there was a quality of reaction from the public that was personal in a way I can't explain and everyone here has had the same thing," she said. "We have all been flooded with e-mails."

Bradley was the king, says his former correspondent Bob Simon. "He had the most authoritative presence and style on the broadcast and that's not replaceable," he said.

Faced with the huge loss of Bradley, CBS won't even bother to replace him in the middle of the TV season. Instead, his workload will be spread around -- a unique arrangement for 60 Minutes -- for as long as it takes to find the next full-time person armed with the ability to take on Bradley's correspondent role.

Bradley's death also robs 60 Minutes of its only on-screen black correspondent. And while it's important to represent diversity, the powers that be believe it would be a mistake to fill the spot with someone just for the sake of addressing the issue.

So those at CBS will just wait for the right person to come along -- while they collectively grieve for the right person they just lost.