Private memorial for CBS News' Bob Simon planned for Metropolitan Opera House

March 24, 2010. Bob Simon, speaks with a news producer at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. (The Associated Press)

A private memorial for veteran CBS News reporter Bob Simon is planned for Tuesday at New York's Metropolitan Opera House.

Representatives of CBS News and the Met said Saturday that the service is intended for family and close friends.

A larger public service will be held at a later date.

Simon died Wednesday in a car crash on Manhattan's West Side Highway. He was 73.

The longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent was known for covering wars and conflicts. But he was also a music lover who reported on several opera stories during his career.