Drew Griffin, a CNN senior investigative correspondent and dear friend of Don Lemon, passed away at the age of 60.
CNN This Morning’s co-host, Don Lemon broke down in tears while reporting the death of his colleague and Emmy Award-winning senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, who sadly passed away from cancer at the age of 60. According to PEOPLE, Lemon shared the sad news on live TV and revealed, “We have some very sad news to tell you today. Our colleague and friend and longtime distinguished CNN journalist Drew Griffin has passed away.”
Don Lemon breaks down in tears reporting the death of his colleague Drew Griffin. (Video: CNN) pic.twitter.com/6kJOsvzA9I
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 19, 2022
While looking back at the glorious career of Griffin, Lemon was unable to continue further and choked up in tears. "We're going to honor him a little bit later on," Lemon said before his co-host Kaitlan Collins comforted him and called for a commercial break on the show. "I know this is tough for you. You said he was one of the first people you met at CNN," Collins spoke to Lemon and expressed her condolences. "Drew was such a gifted storyteller. We'll have more for you next," she continued after taking over the segment from Lemon.
The hosts returned after a commercial break as Lemon justified his emotional breakdown. "We had known that Drew had passed but it just became real to me at that moment," he said. "But it's not about me." Griffin was also considered to be the "heartbeat of the network" by This Morning’s anchor as he reflected back on his early days at the news station. "I could not have met someone who was more kind to me, more welcoming to everyone," Lemon said.
Lemon also took to Instagram and shared a throwback picture of himself posing with Drew Griffin from 2012 and wrote: “We will miss you, Drew. Such a good guy. An excellent journalist. An incredible loss.” Don Lemon concluded his thoughts about his late colleague and said, "He will be missed and I hope you're smiling down on us from heaven."
New overnight— @CNN mourns the loss of investigative reporter Drew Griffin: pic.twitter.com/OYYmKUbGio
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) December 19, 2022
According to CNN, the veteran journalist Griffin started his career with WICD-TV in Illinois and his career allowed him to move to several states such as Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Seattle. Griffin joined CBS 2 News in 1994 and aided in creating an investigative reporting team, which went on to succeed and collect several awards and accolades. In his career with CNN, which spans two decades, Griffin contributed to several documentaries and penned down hundreds of stories. He was also honored with a Peabody award and three Primetime Emmy awards.
Drew Griffin was also involved in exposing the unethical practices at Trump University and reporting the increasing number of sexual assault allegations against Uber drivers which led the app to prioritize their hiring process with safety. His journalistic contributions remain impactful to this date.
References:
https://people.com/tv/don-lemon-cries-sharing-news-cnn-colleague-drew-griffin-dead-at-age-60/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/us/drew-griffin-obit-invs/index.html
Cover Image Source: (L)Dominik Bindl/Getty Images | (R)Jemal Countess/Getty Images
