Veteran CNN Anchor Lauded for 9/11 Coverage Dies: Aaron Brown was 76

Aaron Brown, the distinguished CNN anchor whose unplanned debut on Sept. 11, 2001, established him as a trusted presence in American journalism, died Sunday at 76, his family announced. The cause of death was not disclosed.

From CNN’s Manhattan rooftop at 5 Penn Plaza near Madison Square Garden, Brown delivered 17 hours of continuous coverage as the events of 9/11 unfolded, processing the unimaginable with remarkable composure. His memorable description of the South Tower’s collapse via CNN captured both the journalist’s duty to inform and the human response to tragedy: “The South Tower, the second tower. The one on the left collapsed. It collapsed in a cascade of smoke and sparks. This is devastation. There are 50,000 people who normally go to work in the Trade Center buildings.”

“A million things had been running through my mind about what might happen… it just never occurred to me that (the buildings) would come down,” Brown later reflected. “It’s the only time I thought, ‘Maybe you just don’t have what it takes to do a story like this.’ Because it just had never occurred to me.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic Howard Rosenberg praised Brown in The Los Angeles Times as “the steadiest man on television” and “a French horn in an industry dominated by kazoos.” Brown was “at a terrible place at the right time,” Rosenberg noted, per CNN. The impact was so profound that when Brown visited Washington, D.C., the following week, hotel guests stood to applaud his coverage.

Despite winning the Edward R. Murrow Award for his 9/11 reporting, Brown remained humble about his role. “I think when that building fell, I understood better than any other point in my life, before or since, what a hero meant,” he said in 2016. “It’s not that we didn’t try to tell the story; it’s that the story itself is too great to tell.”

His journey to broadcast prominence began in Minneapolis radio before serving in the Coast Guard Reserve. After 15 years in Seattle local television, he became the founding anchor of ABC’s World News Now and later anchored World News Tonight Saturday throughout the 1990s. His move to CNN in 2001 led to hosting NewsNight from 2001 to 2005, where he earned three Emmy Awards, including recognition for his “Streets of Iraq” report.

Colleagues remember Brown as a consummate professional who prioritized accuracy over speed. CNN’s John Vause recalls Brown’s valuable lesson that saying “I don’t know” was acceptable in an industry often demanding immediate answers. “He was a tough guy to work for, but he could also be quite mentoring,” Vause said via CNN. “It was almost like doing your midterm finals every time you were doing a live shot with Aaron.”

Former CNN producer Jon Auerbach described Brown as “first and foremost a writer and craftsman,” adding via CNN that “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.”

Producer David Fitzpatrick remembered him as someone who “always wanted the very best of people,” noting, “It was remarkable when we received a compliment from him. He was a signature anchor during his prime time. His legacy will mean concise writing, concise presentation and a calm demeanor in the face of crisis. Impactful, insightful and measured.”

Former correspondent Susan Candiotti praised his “genuine ability to connect with viewers,” recalling his coverage of George Harrison’s death in November 2001: “He wove a wonderful piece recalling Harrison’s life, his contribution to music, and his place in the lives of a generation who remembered Harrison. And if you didn’t know much about him before, Aaron made sure you did by the end.”

Anderson Cooper, whose program Anderson Cooper 360° eventually replaced NewsNight, remembered Brown via TVLine as “a great writer and broadcaster” who was “thoughtful, funny, and diligent” and “had a truly unique talent and a beautiful way with words.”

After leaving CNN in 2005, Brown hosted PBS’ Wide Angle (2008-09) and became the Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, completing what colleagues called a “full circle” journey from university dropout to respected journalism lecturer.

His wife, Charlotte Raynor, reflected on their life together, per CNN: “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. 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. 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.”