Newsreader and journalist Don Lemon couldn’t hold back his emotions when he read the news of the death of his colleague and friend Drew Griffin due to cancer. The journalist broke down live on CNN during the morning session of news on December 19 as he announced the sad demise of the CNN senior investigative correspondent, Griffin, who lost his battle to cancer at the age of 60, reported People. "We have some very sad news to tell you today," Lemon began as he started reading, "Our colleague and friend and longtime distinguished CNN journalist Drew Griffin has passed away."
"We're going to honor him a little bit later on," Lemon continued to avoid getting emotional but eventually broke down as he was too choked up to continue. Lemon’s co-presenter Kaitlan Collins took the charge to carry on as she comforted her colleague and paid tribute to the former senior investigative correspondent. Lemon teared up as he recounted Griffin’s career graph and journey with CNN.
Collins is heard saying, "I know this is tough for you. You said he was one of the first people you met at CNN,” as she tries to console Lemon who went on to wipe his tears while presenting the morning show. She then continued the segment telling the viewers about Drew. "Drew was such a gifted storyteller. We'll have more for you next," she said and took a commercial break to ease the emotional upheaval in the newsroom. Lemon explained his brief emotional meltdown after the break saying, "We had known that Drew had passed but it just became real to me at that moment. But it's not about me," as he mentioned Griffin’s contributions to investigative journalism.
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The CNN This Morning anchor went on to call Griffin the "heartbeat of the network" as he reflected on the days since his joining, "I could not have met someone who was more kind to me, more welcoming to everyone," he added. "He was just this kind, gentle soul that was just very sweet to everyone. He was an amazing guy and loved his [children] Ele, Louis, and Miles. You will be missed and I hope you're smiling down on us from heaven," Lemon concluded as he put the report to rest.
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Griffin’s two decades at CNN had him writing hundreds of stories, earning several accolades like one Peabody award and three Emmy awards for his journalistic contributions. He had previously exposed unethical practices at Trump University, reported on sexual assault allegations against Uber drivers, and disproved election fraud conspiracies.
Lemon paid tribute to the reporter on his social media handle of Instagram with a picture of him with Griffin captioned, "We will miss you, Drew. Such a good guy. An excellent journalist. An incredible loss."
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Reference:
https://people.com/tv/don-lemon-cries-sharing-news-cnn-colleague-drew-griffin-dead-at-age-60/
Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Dimitrios Kambouris (R) Getty Images | Mike Coppola
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