Former CNN Anchor Bobbie Battista Dead at 67 Following Cancer Battle

Bobbie Battista, a former CNN anchor and one of the original hosts of CNN Headline News passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 67. According to PEOPLE, the journalist had been battling cervical cancer for the past four years. Battista's husband, John Brimelow, issued a statement to CNN.

"Bobbie was the consummate trooper in her struggle with cancer, she was courageous and fearless in her battle and thoughtful for all the others in her life even as she fought through the pain. My dear partner of 25 years of marriage has cut her earthly bonds and is now in peace."

After graduating from Northwestern University, Battista started off her career in media at a country music radio station in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. In 1976, she took the job of anchor and producer of Action News 5 for WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

Bobbie Battista, the former host of "TalkBack Live" and one of the original CNN Headline News anchors, has died. She was 67. https://t.co/qAGhhSRUjw

— CNN (@CNN) March 3, 2020

Five years later, Battista joined the CNN Headline News for the network's launch. By 1988, she was moved to the CNN mothership, where she anchored several news programs, including Today, WorldNews and PrimeNews, to name a few. She was also the host of TalkBack Live, which featured public participation from the studio audience, the first program of its kind.

The same year she joined Headline News, she wrote and produced the documentary Fed Up with Fear, which went on to win a Peabody Award.

During her 20-year career at the cable news network, she reported on a number of historic events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the Gulf War, as well as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Back in 2001, Battista shared her thoughts about her tenure at CNN in an interview with the network itself. She also had some frank advice for aspiring journalists, namely, "You must go to college."

"You must major in either political science or broadcast journalism. You'll have to be willing to go to a small town somewhere and do your time in the trenches. There's a lot of competition, and you have to work your way up. Or, you can start at an entry-level position at a [network like] CNN, but if you want to be an anchor, you'll have to do your time in the trenches."

"You have to love what you do," she concluded. "It's probably one of the most rewarding fields you could ever choose to work in."