Drew Griffin, CNN Investigative Journalist, Dies at 60

According to his family, Drew Griffin, CNN's distinguished senior investigative correspondent, passed away on Saturday after a protracted fight with cancer. He was 60.

Chris Licht, the CEO of CNN, wrote in a statement to employees that Drew's passing was "a heartbreaking loss to CNN and our whole profession." The work of Drew, a highly respected investigative journalist, "embodied the objective of this organisation in every manner" and "had great influence."

Griffin spent over two decades on the network's investigative team, working on hundreds of stories and numerous documentaries. Awarded for his reporting were the Emmy, Peabody, and Murrow prizes.

According to network reports, Griffin had kept his sickness a secret from the majority of his coworkers and had continued to work up to the day of his death.

"Fearless and artful at the same time, he knew how to push a story ahead to its limits but also present it in a way that would make it understandable to everyone," stated Michael Bass, CNN's EVP of Programming, in a message to the investigative team. How many interviewees has he chased away before? How many times has he challenged authorities? How many times has he really changed things? Being his coworker and witnessing his work and the ways it altered the world was an honour.

One of Griffin's most well-known projects was a 12-month investigation into medical care delays in Department of Veterans Affairs facilities around the country that led to patient deaths. After the VA secretary resigned as a result of his team's reporting, federal legislation was passed and the way veterans' appointments are handled was fundamentally altered.

Griffin also published studies debunking widespread election fraud theories, looking into complaints of sexual assault against Uber drivers, allegations of fraud against Trump University, and many other topics. He confronted MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell about his false allegations of election fraud during their interview.

In a CNN story on his passing, Patricia DiCarlo, Executive Producer of CNN's investigative unit and a coworker of Griffin's for almost ten years, stated that "Griffin was an extraordinary writer who moulded pieces into riveting, must-see TV tales." His ability with words set him apart. "You know when a Drew Griffin narrative starts—going it's to be spectacular."

Griffin, a native of Chicago, began his media career as a cameraman and reporter for WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois. He has since worked for TV stations in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Washington. In January 1994, he started working for the Los Angeles news station KCBS.

He is survived by wife Margot, three children and two grandchildren.