Bernard Shaw, CNN Veteran Anchor, Dead at 82
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Katie Couric paid tribute to the late anchor on Instagram.
Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the age of 82.
His family announced his death in a statement on Thursday, with CNN reporting the cause of death as pneumonia unrelated to COVID-19.
Shaw was CNN's first chief anchor when it launched in 1980. After more than 20 years with the network, he retired in 2001.
"Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington anchor when we launched on June 1, 1980," Chris Licht, CNN Chairman and CEO, said in a statement on Thursday, per the outlet. "He was our lead anchor for the next 20 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," Licht noted, adding, "The condolences of all of us at CNN go out to his wife Linda and his children."
While funeral services will be reserved for family and invited guests, the family will hold a public memorial service at a later time.
"In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bernard Shaw Scholarship Fund at the University of Chicago. The Shaw family requests complete privacy at this time," the family noted in the statement shared by former CNN CEO Tom Johnson.
In his own statement, Johnson called Shaw a "fierce advocate of responsible journalism" who "demanded accuracy and fairness in news coverage" and "earned the respect of millions of viewers around the world for his integrity and independence."
Katie Couric remembered Shaw in a tribute she shared on Instagram.
Alongside his anchor photo, she wrote: "Bernie Shaw started out with all of us CNN babies back in 1980 as the Chief Washington Anchor. He was sometimes gruff, sometimes sarcastic, but always a sweetheart. Back when the backdrop of the newscast was a working news room, he would whip around in his chair and yell, "TYPEWRITERS!" and we'd all lift our hands from the keys while the cameras were rolling, pretending to type so we wouldn't make any noise."
"I can't believe he's gone. We recently had our reunion in DC and he was sorely missed then. Now he will be missed forever. ❤️," she concluded.
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