Aaron Brown has died. The newsman, best known for his coverage of 9/11 on CNN, died on Dec. 29, his family told the network. He was 76.
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Brown began his career in radio, before starting his broadcast career in Seattle. He soon became a national broadcaster for ABC. At the network, Brown was the first-ever anchor of World News Now and also anchored World News Tonight Saturday and Good Morning America Sunday. He additionally worked on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and Nightline.
Brown joined CNN in 2001. He hadn’t been scheduled to go on-air on Sept. 11, but jumped into action when the terrorist attacks began. He reported live on the attacks for 17 hours, the network said. He later won the Edward R. Murrow Award for his 9/11 coverage.
After his 9/11 coverage, Brown went on anchor CNN’s NewsNight for four years. Next, Brown served as the Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
In a statement to CNN, Brown’s wife, Charlotte Raynor, reflected on his life and career.
“Aaron got to do the work that he loved—and he felt lucky to do that work as part of a community of people who were dedicated to good journalism and who became good friends,” she said. “Over the course of his career, Aaron worked morning shifts, night shifts, and of course the Overnight (a program he absolutely loved working on), but he always found a way to make both ordinary and special times with our daughter Gabby and me.”
Raynor added, “These last few years, when we have all been able to live in the same city, have been the sweetest time for Aaron and me.”