CNN's first chief anchor, Bernard Shaw, dies at 82

CNN's first chief anchor, Bernard Shaw, has died from pneumonia at a Washington, D.C. hospital, his family announced Thursday.

Shaw, a pioneering black journalist who spent overt two decades at CNN, is remembered for his live reporting from Baghdad in 1991 during the first Gulf war.

"Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980," CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht said. "Even after he left CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family providing our viewers with context about historic events as recently as last year."

The Shaw family is requesting privacy and is asking for donations to be made to the University of Chicago's Bernard Shaw Scholarship Fund, in lieu of flowers.