‘Tough guy to work for’: CNN anchor who gained fame for live reporting on 9/11 dies

Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who gained prominence for his live coverage of the 9/11 attacks, died Sunday at the age of 76.

Brown made his first broadcast appearance on CNN during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, where he reported the tragic events from the top of the network’s building in Manhattan for 17 hours, CNN reported. He won the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the attacks.

Another high profile death at the end of the year. This time it is Hopkins, Minnesota native, former @CNN news anchor Aaron Brown. Aaron was 76.
I admired him. He was an excellent anchor/reporter. https://t.co/PVrUiV1RnY

— Cathy Wurzer (@CathyWurzer) December 31, 2024

CNN’s John Vause, who also reported the attacks that day, said Brown’s colleagues immediately admired him and even stood up to give him a round of applause when he returned to Washington, D.C, CNN reported. Many of Brown’s former colleagues, including Vause, said he left a lasting impact on all of them throughout their time working with him.

“He was a tough guy to work for, but he could also be quite mentoring,” Vause said. “It was almost like doing your midterm finals, every time you were doing a live shot with Aaron.”

Former CNN producer Jon Auerbach, who worked with Brown, described the late reporter as “first and foremost a writer and craftsman” who had a dry sense of humor and knew the value of a work-life balance, CNN reported.

Rest in peace Aaron Brown. I vividly remember him covering September 11th on CNN, which was his very first day on the job at that network. #aaronbrown #abcnews #cnn #RIP pic.twitter.com/KeW9e3ut1T

— Dr. Rick (@Rick_LifeCoach) December 31, 2024

“He had a biting sense of humor, and in the days before people spoke of a work-life balance, Aaron knew its value. Anchoring a program at 10 p.m. can be brutal, but Aaron was able to make time for what was important to him outside the studio, whether it be his wife and daughter or a round of golf,” Auerbach said.

Brown attended the University of Minnesota and served in the Coast Guard Reserve, CNN reported. He hosted a radio show in Minneapolis during his early career days and became a local broadcaster in Seattle, Washington, according to ABC News.

The late anchor became a national broadcaster at ABC News where he worked as a reporter for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” and hosted “World News Now,” ABC reported. He also anchored “World News Tonight Saturday” and “Good Morning America Sunday” before joining CNN in June 2001.

Brown had received three Emmys and other prestigious awards over the course of his journalism career, CNN reported.

After Brown left CNN, he served as the Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, according to CNN.

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