Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who gained notoriety for his coverage of the September 11 attacks, died Sunday (December 29) at the age of 76, his family confirmed to the network on Tuesday (December 31).

Brown was previously the founding anchor for ABC's World News Now and later contributed as a reporter for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, as well as Nightline and other ABC News programming, before joining CNN in 2001. The veteran anchor received the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the 9/11 attacks from the rooftop of CNN's Manhattan tower, as well as the World Trade Center site and nearby areas in New York City, reporting live for 17 hours.

“When he was live on air, he just stopped and looked at it. And paused. And he shared this moment that everybody was thinking, ‘Good Lord. There are no words,’” said John Vause, who also reported from New York for CNN on September 11, 2001.

Brown was listening to a report from the site of The Pentagon, where there was another attack, as the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in real time.

“The South Tower, the second tower. The one on the left collapsed. It collapsed in a cascade of smoke and sparks,” Brown said during the live segment. “This is devastation. There are 50,000 people who normally go to work in the Trade Center buildings.”

CNN colleague Anderson Cooper called Brown "a great writer and broadcaster" following news of his death.

“Thoughtful, funny, and diligent, he had a truly unique talent and a beautiful way with words,” Cooper said via CNN.

Brown began his television broadcasting career working at KING-TV, an NBC affiliate, in Seattle in 1976 and spent more than 15 years in the market, later moving to KIRO-TV, a CBS affiliate, in 1986, before joining ABC News in 1992.