(CelebrityAccess) – Bernard Shaw, the lead anchor at CNN for over two decades, died Wednesday (September 7) of pneumonia (unrelated to COVID-19). He was 82. The news of his death was confirmed by the news outlet CNN.
“Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington Anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980. 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,” said Chris Licht, CNN’s chairman, and CEO, in a statement. “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.”
Before CNN, Shaw worked for CBS News in Washington, DC, between 1971 and 1977, covering Latin America and Capitol Hill for ABC News.
Once joining the CNN news desk, Shaw became the co-anchor of PrimeNews, CNN’s nighttime broadcast, and helped break the news of the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, covered the 1994 California earthquake, Princess Diana’s death, and much more.
Shaw was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (1999) and received two lifetime achievements honors, from the Edward R. Murrow Awards (2001) and the National Association of Black Journalists (2007).
Funeral services will be held for family members and invited guests, with a public memorial service planned at a later date, Shaw’s family said in a statement.
“In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bernard Shaw Scholarship Fund at the University of Chicago,” Shaw’s family said. “The Shaw family requests complete privacy at this time.”
