Canberra's Peter Leonard has lost his battle with mesothelioma, passing away yesterday in Canberra at the age of 66.

To a generation Peter is best known as the face of Win television news which he presented from 1991 until midway through 2007 when he retired.

Peter Leonard got his start in radio in 1962 when he joined 2CA as a cadet copyrighter - progressing through the ranks to become a fixture of the station as an announcer and newsreader.

He later joined the ABC in Canberra presenting news on both radio and television prior to joining WIN.

He was muched loved and respected by his peers, and as Andrew Gordon of WIN said in his tribute to Peter ''He was a great supporter of young people starting their careers in the media and generous when sharing his knowledge and expertise.

Peter is survived by his wife Gwen, children Matthew, Nathan and Natasha and grandchildren.