Breaking News: Former CNN Anchor Aaron Brown Dies – What You Need to Know

He was still undergoing training when he was thrust into live coverage of the World Trade Center collapse, and his broadcast became one of the most memorable and lasting accounts of that tragic day.

By Sheenu Gupta On Jan 1, 2025 Share with new partner:

Aaron Brown, the veteran television anchor whose coverage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks became one of the most iconic and enduring broadcasts of that day, passed away on Sunday in Washington, D.C. He was 76 years old. His family confirmed his death in a statement, although they did not disclose the cause.

Brown had joined CNN just a few months before the attacks, in June 2001, and was still in training for his new role. On the morning of September 11, he was not scheduled to be on air for several more weeks. However, as the attacks on the World Trade Center unfolded, he was urgently called upon to cover the breaking news. Within moments, he was quickly moved to the roof of CNN’s Manhattan headquarters to report live from the scene.

Aaron Brown, former CNN anchor, dies at 76

His coverage of the tragic events has since become one of the most memorable and poignant reports of the day. Brown’s broadcast, which alternated between clear-eyed reporting and deeply human emotional responses, resonated with viewers. At one point, as he watched the South Tower collapse, he turned away from the camera, his voice breaking as he simply said, “Good lord. There are no words,” capturing the horror and disbelief of the moment in a way that words alone could not fully convey.

For his coverage of the events on September 11, Aaron Brown was awarded an Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism. However, despite the recognition, it would take years before Brown felt comfortable discussing his role in reporting the attacks. He struggled with a sense of internal conflict about his position in the historical narrative of that tragic day.

In a 2011 interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Brown admitted feeling somewhat uneasy about the idea that his actions during the coverage of the attacks had any significant impact. “I think I just told a story,” he said, reflecting on his role with a sense of humility.

Aaron Brown was born on November 10, 1948, in Minneapolis, to Mort and Rose Brown. He briefly attended the University of Minnesota in 1966 but left to join the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.

Brown started his broadcasting career in radio before transitioning to television in Seattle, where he became a prominent news anchor over the course of 15 years. In 1991, he moved to New York to join ABC News, where he became a founding anchor of the overnight program World News Now before eventually joining CNN.

From 2001 to 2005, Aaron Brown hosted CNN’s flagship prime-time news show, NewsNight, which aired at 10 p.m. His dry wit and distinctive style were central to the show, which also featured The Whip, a segment reviewing global news with CNN correspondents stationed around the world.

Brown’s unique approach, blending news with subtle commentary, led some to liken his program to something one might hear on NPR. Walter Isaacson, who served as CNN’s chairman at the time, referred to NewsNight as a “little gem,” highlighting Brown’s “quirky sensibility.”

However, Brown’s style wasn’t for everyone, and he was aware of how his approach divided audiences. In a 2002 interview with Adweek, he shared that research had shown his viewers typically fell into three categories: those who found him interesting, those who thought he was a jerk, or those who loved to hate him. “No one is ever neutral about me,” he said. “I can live with that.”

Often compared to Peter Jennings for his fact-based reporting, Brown stood apart in a media landscape increasingly dominated by debate and analysis. Over the course of his career, he earned multiple accolades, including three Emmy Awards and the prestigious Murrow Award.

John Vause, a CNN anchor and correspondent who worked alongside Brown during the 9/11 coverage, recalled that while Brown could be tough to work with, he was also a strong mentor. “It was almost like doing your midterm finals, every time you were doing a live shot with Aaron,” Vause said.

Over time, NewsNight began to decline in the ratings as Aaron Brown found himself losing ground to Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. In 2005, CNN replaced him with Anderson Cooper, who had gained significant recognition for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Brown was let go from CNN two years before his contract was set to expire, with the network shifting its focus from fact-based reporting to talk shows and analysis. Brown later expressed frustration about being assigned to anchor extensive coverage of the highly publicized murder trial of actor Robert Blake.

“It was totally ridiculous,” Brown told Variety in 2007, after he was freed from his CNN contract. He admitted he didn’t enjoy the coverage and doubted its authenticity, acknowledging that the content didn’t resonate well with him or the viewers.

In 2008, Brown returned to television as the host of Wide Angle, a PBS public affairs series focusing on global issues. Following his departure from CNN, he was appointed the inaugural Walter Cronkite Professor of Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a position he held until 2014.

His wife, Charlotte Raynor, expressed in a statement that Brown was grateful to have worked in a community of journalists who were passionate about their craft and became lifelong friends. Brown is survived by his wife, daughter Gabby Brown, and two grandchildren.