Former CNN anchor Bobbie Battista died at the age of 67 after battling cervical cancer, her family said.
“Bobbie was the consummate trooper in her struggle with cancer, she was courageous and fearless in her battle and thoughtful for all the others in her life even as she fought through the pain,” Battista’s husband John Brimelow told CNN Tuesday. “My dear partner of 25 years of marriage has cut her earthly bonds and is now in peace.”
David P. Gelles, a CNN executive producer, announced the news on Twitter.
Battista was one of the first CNN Headline News anchors when the network was started in 1981. She was the host of shows like “TalkBack Live” and others.
“Whether the Challenger explosion, the assassination attack on Reagan, the Gulf War, certainly this terrorist attack. Those were memorable from the anchor desk,” Battista recalled of her news coverage in the 1980s. “As far as TalkBack, we’ve had some serious shows, and some fun shows. If I had to pick, I'd say I liked Free for All Fridays the best.”
Before CNN, she worked at Action News 5 for WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 2001, Battista shared some advice to aspiring reporters.
“You’ll have to be willing to go to a small town somewhere, and do your time in the trenches. There’s a lot of competition, and you have to work your way up,” she said at the time. “Or, you can start at an entry level position at a [network like] CNN, but if you want to be an anchor, you’ll have to do your time in the trenches,” she added. “You have to love what you do. It’s probably one of the most rewarding fields you could ever choose to work in.”
