Aaron Brown, CNN Anchor During the Sept. 11 Attacks, Dies at 76

Aaron Brown, the longtime television anchor whose coverage during CNN’s live broadcast of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks became one of the most well-known records of the day, died on Sunday in Washington, D.C. He was 76.

His family confirmed the death in a statement, which did not cite a cause.

Mr. Brown joined CNN in June 2001, and he was still training for his role on the morning of Sept. 11. He was not supposed to appear on the air for several more weeks, but when the attacks on the World Trade Center began he was rushed up the roof of CNN’s Manhattan headquarters to cover the events live.

His broadcasts have endured as one of the most memorable reports during the attacks, with Mr. Brown veering between cleareyed reporting and horrified human emoting.

“Good lord,” Mr. Brown said at one point, turning from the camera to watch the fall of the South Tower. “There are no words.”

Mr. Brown would go on to win an Edward R. Murrow Award, one of broadcast news’ most prestigious honors, for his work that day. Still, it would be years before he spoke openly about the experience of covering the tragedy, and he remained conflicted about his place in it.

“Sometimes I’m a little embarrassed, I suppose, at this notion that anything I did mattered,” he told NPR’s All Things Considered in 2011. “I think I just told a story.”