Bernard Shaw, who worked as CNN’s chief anchor for the network’s first 20 years, died of pneumonia Wednesday in Washington.
The news of Shaw’s passing was reported by CNN’s former chief executive Tom Johnson and confirmed by his family, according to The Associated Press. Shaw was the network’s first chief anchor and had been working with CNN from its launch on June 1, 1980, until his retirement on Feb. 28, 2001, CNN reported.
Shaw was with the network for 20 years, and is perhaps best remembered for calmly covering the start of the Gulf War in 1991 as missiles exploded around him, CNN reported. He anchored the news desk during the student revolt in Tiananmen Square in 1989, the 2000 presidential election and a slew of other huge moments in modern history, CNN continued.
RIP CNN anchor and icon Bernard Shaw, who died yesterday at age 82, per his family.
Deepest condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues.
May his memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/3Xh27a0ucH
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 8, 2022
“CNN’s beloved anchor and colleague, Bernard Shaw, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington Anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980,” CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht said in a statement Thursday. “He was our lead anchor for the next twenty years from anchoring coverage of presidential elections to his iconic coverage of the First Gulf War live from Baghdad in 1991.”
“Even after he left CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family providing our viewers with context about historic events as recently as last year. The condolences of all of us at CNN go out to his wife Linda and his children,” the statement concluded.
His funeral service will be closed to the public with a public memorial service planned at a later time, Shaw’s family told CNN. (RELATED: We’re Proud Of You, Jake Tapper)
Tributes to Shaw have poured out from CNN journalists, including Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, and Omar Jimenez. “The example [Shaw] set blazed a trail for so many. May he Rest In Peace,” Jimenez tweeted.
Bernard Shaw, an all-time legend and CNN’s first chief anchor when the network launched in 1980 has died at 82. The example he set blazed a trail for so many. May he Rest In Peace. https://t.co/piWLyJRkt2
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) September 8, 2022