Don Lemon Breaks Down in Tears Announcing CNN Colleague Drew Griffin's Death

12/19/2022 01:49 pm EST

Legendary CNN reporter Drew Griffin passed away this weekend, and it fell to his friend Don Lemon to report the sad news on Monday. Lemon announced Griffin's death on Monday's episode of CNN This Morning. The anchor broke down in tears as he read the news on-air.

"We have some very sad news to tell you today," Lemon began, already sounding emotional. "Our colleague and friend and long-time distinguished CNN journalist Drew Griffin has passed away." Lemon went on to share some of Griffin's many accolades before revealing the tragic details of his death. Griffin, 60, had not disclosed to his colleagues that he was battling cancer, but his family informed the network after his abrupt passing on Saturday.

"Drew was with the investigative unit of CNN based in Atlanta since 2004, his wide-ranging expertise included politics, sports, government and corporate investigation," Lemon continued between deep breaths. "In 2015 Drew earned a Peabody Award for his probe into delays at Veterans Affairs hospitals. He won three national Emmys for his reporting exposing corporate and congressional corruption. Prior to joining CNN, he was an investigative report at CBS in Los Angeles for 10 years, and we're going to honor him a little bit later on."

Lemon's voice broke as he made it to the end of his recitation, and then he added: "I'm sorry," before he choked out a few tears for his friend. His co-anchor Poppy Harlow comforted him as he dabbed tears with a tissue as the show cut to a commercial.

Griffin was known for his investigative reports as a correspondent, including segments on many of the network's top primetime shows in the last two decades. He also worked on many of CNN's original documentaries, including the 2012 special Madness at Midnight: The Search for Answer in Aurora. He is listed as the narrator of that documentary while Lemon is listed as the host, so it's clear that the two have known each other and worked together for years.

Griffin had reportedly been battling cancer for quite some time but had chosen not to share that diagnosis with his colleagues. He continued working up until his death, which was this Saturday, Dec. 17. He is survived by his wife Margot, three children and two grandchildren. Griffin's work is spread out across streaming services including the CNN app and website, as well as Discovery+, among others.

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