Rooney was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgical procedure, and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92, less than five weeks after his last appearance on 60 Minutes.
Rooney dirawat di rumah sakit pada 25 Oktober 2011, setelah mengalami komplikasi pasca operasi bedah yang dirahasiakan, dan ia akhirnya meninggal dunia pada 4 November 2011, pada usia 92 tahun, kurang dari lima minggu setelah penampilan terakhirnya di acara 60 Minutes.