TV Journalists You Didn't Realize Died
From the sudden death of a sports reporter in Qatar to the demise of a longtime investigative journalist, life-threatening health issues unfortunately aren't unheard of among TV news anchors. Here are a few TV journalists you may not have realized passed away.
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00:00From the sudden death of a sports reporter in Qatar to the demise of a longtime investigative
00:05journalist, life-threatening health issues, unfortunately, aren't unheard of among TV
00:10news anchors. Here are a few TV journalists you may not have realized passed away.
00:16News anchor Bernard Shaw worked for CNN from the beginning. In fact, he was the network's
00:21first chief anchor. When Shaw died of pneumonia in September 2022, he was 82 years old at
00:27the time and had long since moved on from his role at CNN, which he left in 2001.
00:32Finally, tonight, we remember a legendary newsman and pioneer, Bernard Shaw."
00:38According to The Guardian, Shaw helped break barriers in the industry while creating a
00:42path for Black journalists, as he was momentarily the only Black journalist delivering the evening
00:47news on a major network.
00:49CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht shared a touching statement following Shaw's death, writing,
00:55Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980.
01:00He was our lead anchor for the next 20 years, from anchoring coverage of presidential elections
01:05to his iconic coverage of the first Gulf War live from Baghdad in 1991. Even after he left
01:11CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family, providing our viewers with context
01:16about historical events as recently as last year. Licht went on to lend his condolences
01:21to the late news anchor's family.
01:25U.S. journalist Grant Wall died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm while covering the World Cup
01:29in Qatar in December 2022. He was 49. CNN reported that Wall collapsed while working
01:36and was later transported to a hospital, where he sadly did not survive.
01:40World Soccer magazine columnist Keir Radnedge spoke to the news network about watching the
01:45tragedy unfold, saying,
01:47"'This was towards the end of extra time in the match. Suddenly, colleagues up to my left
01:51started shouting for medical assistance. Obviously, someone had collapsed. Because
01:56the chairs are freestanding, people were able to move the chairs, so it's possible to create
02:01a little bit of space around him."
02:02Wall's wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, spoke to CBS Mornings about her husband's cause of
02:08death. She revealed that his aortic aneurysm had likely been worsening for years up until
02:13his passing. In a letter shared to Wall's website, Gounder addressed the previously
02:17mentioned conspiracy theories that had surfaced surrounding the tragedy. With rumors previously
02:22spreading about unconfirmed causes of Wall's death on social media, some users even made
02:27unsubstantiated allegations that the COVID-19 vaccine had led to the journalist's passing.
02:33She wrote, in part,
02:34"'His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There
02:38was nothing nefarious about his death.'"
02:41Gounder also described her late husband's character in her letter, writing,
02:45"'Grant was an incredible, empathetic, dedicated, and loving husband, brother, uncle, and son,
02:50who was our greatest teammate and fan.'"
02:52To know that he was so loved by so many people, it makes me feel a little bit less alone."
02:59Tim Russert was powerful and influential in the world of journalism, so he left behind
03:04quite a legacy when he died of a heart attack in June 2008 at age 58. Russert was known
03:09for his work on Meet the Press, but he was also vice president of NBC News. The reporter
03:14had the opportunity to interview a number of well-known politicians during his career,
03:19including former President George W. Bush. During a news conference the day after Russert's
03:24death, Bush shared a touching statement in honor of the journalist, saying,
03:27"'America lost a really fine citizen yesterday, when Tim Russert passed away. I've had the
03:32privilege of being interviewed by Tim Russert. I found him to be a hardworking, thorough,
03:37decent man.'"
03:38Sending his condolences to the late reporter's loved ones, Bush added,
03:42"'Tim Russert loved his country. He loved his family. He loved his job a lot.'"
03:46Further details on Russert's death were revealed after medical professional Dr. Scott Munrad
03:52spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the journalist's cardiac arrest, saying,
03:56"'Russert had bad luck because his heart went into arrhythmia, but we don't know who will
04:00or when.'"
04:02CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plant died in September 2022 at age 84. Plant was
04:08a veteran journalist, working in the field for 52 years, according to The New York Times.
04:13Former President Barack Obama's first press secretary, Robert Gibbs, shared insight into
04:18why Plant was widely admired in his industry, saying,
04:21"'I remember Bill as fearless in how he asked questions, unflinching and unafraid to ask
04:26the president or his staff to defend their decisions, and never in the least bit worried
04:31about offending those in power in pursuit of those answers.'"
04:34"'Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir?'
04:37"'No.'"
04:38Plant's fearlessness was apparent when he spoke about his approach to journalism and
04:42the importance of uncovering the truth. He said in an interview with the Minneapolis
04:46Star-Tribune,
04:47"'I have no wasted sympathy on any occupant of the White House. They are out to present
04:51themselves in the best possible light, and it's our job to find out, if we can, what's
04:55actually going on.'"
04:57Throughout his decades-long career, Plant covered a number of historical events, with
05:01the journalist shedding light on, among other things, the Civil Rights Movement and the
05:05Vietnam War.
05:06"'Bill Plant? No, Bill's not here. That's shocking.'"
05:11Fox News anchor Uma Pemiraju was a trailblazer who had been with the network since it first
05:17launched. She passed away at age 64 in August 2022, and her cause of death has not been
05:22released. Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement,
05:27We are deeply saddened by the death of Uma Pemiraju, who was one of Fox News Channel's
05:31founding anchors and was on the air the day we launched. Uma was an incredibly talented
05:36journalist as well as a warm and lovely person, best known for her kindness to everyone she
05:41worked with. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her entire family."
05:45Pemiraju attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where she studied political
05:50science and went on to work for San Antonio Express News before eventually settling in
05:55at Fox News. She worked on Fox News Now and Fox on Trends before briefly leaving the network
06:00and returning in 2003.
06:02Pemiraju and her daughter, Karina, were seemingly incredibly close. The heartbroken daughter
06:07shared a tribute to her late mother on Instagram following her sudden death, writing,
06:11"'To my very best friend, words cannot express how deeply devastated I am to have lost you.
06:17Your bravery, kindness, and all of the laughter and light you filled every moment with has
06:21inspired me in every sense.'"
06:24ABC News anchor Peter Jennings died of lung cancer at age 67 in August 2005. Months prior
06:30to Jennings' death, he announced his diagnosis on air, saying,
06:33"'As some of you know now, I have learned in the last couple of days that I have lung
06:37cancer. Yes, I was a smoker until about 20 years ago, and I was weak, and I smoked over
06:429-11. But whatever the reason, the news does slow you down a bit. I've been reminding my
06:47colleagues today, who have all been incredibly supportive, that almost 10 million Americans
06:51are already living with cancer, and I have a lot to learn from them."
06:55Jennings covered many historical moments all over the world during his time as a journalist.
07:00In addition to reporting on the Berlin Wall and the civil rights movement, he was among
07:03the first journalists to document the Vietnam War when he traveled to the country in the
07:0860s. Former President George W. Bush spoke about Jennings' many accomplishments following
07:13his death, saying,
07:14"'A lot of Americans relied upon Peter Jennings for their news. He became a part of the lives
07:18of a lot of our fellow citizens, and he will be missed. May God bless his soul.'"
07:24Fred Hickman died of liver cancer in November 2022 at age 66. The legendary sports reporter
07:30was among the first anchors during CNN's 1980 launch. Over the course of Hickman's career,
07:35he worked for the news network's Sports Tonight, as well as for Yes Network, ESPN's Sports
07:40Center, and more media outlets.
07:42Many of Hickman's colleagues took to social media following his death to share memories
07:47of working with him. ESPN's Hannah Storm, for example, wrote on Twitter,
07:51"'So very sad to hear about the passing of Fred Hickman. I was the only female anchor
07:55at CNN Sports, and Fred was such a welcoming presence. Always with a laugh, a quip, a story,
08:01and supremely talented. Rest in peace, my friend.'"
08:05Hugh Downs became a household name through his work on NBC's Today show and 2020 on ABC.
08:10"'Good evening, I'm Hugh Downs.'"
08:12He accomplished a lot throughout his long life until he passed away at the age of 99
08:16in July 2020. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Downs actually spent the early days
08:21of his career as a children's entertainer on the kids' show Kukla, Fran and Ollie.
08:26He also worked at radio stations before snagging a spot on NBC's Caesar Hour. He landed these
08:31gigs after moving on from working as a network announcer in his home state of Ohio.
08:36Downs once said of the job,
08:37"...there was a tendency to think that an announcer was a rich guy who threw his golf
08:41clubs in a high-powered car and motored out to the links. But it wasn't like that at all.
08:45There was no glamour. It was hard work."
08:47He went on to share that he was questioned why he took the job in the first place, because
08:51his nerves often got the best of him. Luckily, it seems that Downs was able to find a gig
08:56he loved with the Today show, because he stayed there from 1962 to 1971. The journalist retired
09:02from TV in 1999 after impressively breaking the record for the most hours on air.
09:08Former news anchor Bobbi Bautista had worked with CNN since the network launched in the
09:13when she died of cervical cancer in March 2020 at age 67. The late journalist's husband
09:19issued a statement which read in part,
09:21"...Bobbi was the consummate trooper in her struggle with cancer. She was courageous and
09:25fearless in her battle, and thoughtful for all the others in her life, even as she fought
09:29through the pain."
09:30According to Deadline, Bautista's lengthy journalism career started in the mid-'70s
09:35with a job as a local Raleigh, North Carolina, news station anchor and producer. She would
09:39also later host CNN's Talk Back Live. Bautista was recognized for her work with the Peabody
09:45Award in 1981, having earned the accolade for writing and producing the documentary
09:50Fed Up With Fear.
09:52Longtime NPR and ABC News journalist Cokie Roberts died of breast cancer complications
09:57in September 2019 at age 75. Roberts worked with NPR from the beginning, and was even
10:03considered a trailblazer for women in journalism after joining the radio station back in 1978,
10:09an impact she shared with only a few other female colleagues during this time. The station's
10:13national political correspondent, Mara Liason, told the Daily Princetonian,
10:18"...we called them the founding mothers of NPR, or sometimes we called them the Fallopian
10:22Club."
10:23Roberts' parents, Sahil and Lindy Boggs, were prominent politicians who both served as U.S.
10:28representatives. The journalist dabbled in the world of politics herself as a congressional
10:33correspondent, but she decided not to follow in her mother and father's footsteps by becoming
10:37a politician herself. It seems that journalism better served Roberts. She spoke to Kentucky
10:42Educational Television about participating in politics only indirectly through her work,
10:47saying,
10:48"...I do feel strongly that informing the voters about what's going on, trying to explain it
10:52in ways that people can understand, and putting the issues out there, is a form of participation."
10:57As for Roberts' personal life, she was married to fellow journalist Stephen V. Roberts, who
11:02worked for The New York Times and honored his late wife's legacy with the 2021 book
11:07Koki, A Life Well Lived. The couple had two children.
11:12CNN senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin died of cancer in December 2022. According
11:17to The Hollywood Reporter, he was 60 years old at the time of his death. Griffin began
11:22working for CNN in 2004 and built an impressive career with the network.
11:26If you were asking us for money, what would you say you did with your money?
11:29We help children with cancer.
11:31How do you do that?
11:32Some of his most notable investigative stories included a piece on New Orleans police officers
11:37who looted during Hurricane Katrina, a look into defective Ford vehicles that caught fire,
11:42and a Peabody Award-winning piece on long delays at Veterans Affairs hospitals that
11:46led to the deaths of 19 military veterans.
11:49Given Griffin's impressive portfolio, you might not be surprised to hear that his work
11:53also earned him Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award.
11:57CNN CEO Chris Licht acknowledged Griffin's many accomplishments in a statement he shared
12:02with staff following his death. He also spoke about the journalist's incredible dedication
12:07to his craft, saying,
12:08"...his work ethic was unparalleled. He spent long hours poring over documents and working
12:13the phones. Even as he battled cancer, he refused to give up on the reporting that was
12:17so important to him and was even working on an investigation until the day he passed away."
12:23For more stories, visit nyseagrant.org