Who is Aaron Brown’s wife Charlotte Raynor? All about the political reporter as influential CNN newsman dies at 76

Aaron Brown, a former influential CNN newsman, died on Sunday, December 29, aged 76. CNN broke the news, and AP has reported his cause of death to be pneumonia. The veteran anchor was most known for his coverage of the 9/11 attack.

While not much is known about when he married Charlotte Raynor, the official website for the Committee for Pro-Choice Democratic Women in Arizona states that she is a retired journalist and political activist. She worked on former President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 and volunteered for nationwide campaigns.

Per her LinkedIn, she worked for the Arizona Democratic Party for 8 years as a Precinct Committeeperson and State Committee member. Before that, she worked as a member of the Victory Leaders Council under Hillary for America. She studied Journalism at the University of Chicago and earned her B.A. from the University of Washington.

Aaron Brown's life and legacy explored

Aaron Brown began his career in journalism at a local TV station in Seattle. He would later become the founding anchor of ABC’s World News Now and serve as the anchor for World News Tonight on Saturday. Furthermore, he reported for various programs, such as World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Nightline, and others.

He eventually joined CNN in a reporting capacity, and his most memorable work is his coverage of the Twin Towers attacks. On that morning, he stood atop a rooftop in Manhattan, simultaneously witnessing and observing the attacks. As the second tower fell, he uttered the phrase everyone across the nation felt:

"Good lord,” he said. “There are no words." He went on in his segment, "The South Tower, the second tower. The one on the left collapsed. It collapsed in a cascade of smoke and sparks. This is devastation. There are 50,000 people who normally go to work in the Trade Center buildings.”

His work on reporting the attacks eventually earned him the Brown the Edward R. Murrow Award, though he also boasts three Emmy awards, among other accolades. Reflecting on the horrors he witnessed, Aaron Brown said in 2016, per CNN:

"I think when that building fell, I understood better than any other point in my life, before or since, what a hero meant. It’s not that we didn’t try to tell the story; it’s that the story itself is too great to tell. A million things had been running through my mind about what might happen … it just never occurred to me that (the buildings) would come down,” Brown said. “It’s the only time I thought, ‘Maybe you just don’t have what it takes to do a story like this.’ Because it just had never occurred to me.”

From 2001 to 2005, Aaron Brown served as the anchor for the 10 p.m. CNN newscast NewsNight, which according to the outlet was a massive hit for Brown's ability to tackle intense stories "with sensitivity and tact."

CNN’s Anderson Cooper referred to Aaron Brown as “a great writer and broadcaster," noting that he was "Thoughtful, funny, and diligent, he had a truly unique talent and a beautiful way with words." His wife, Charlotte Raynor, also told the outlet:

“Aaron got to do the work that he loved - and he felt lucky to do that work as part of a community of people who were dedicated to good journalism and who became good friends. Over the course of his career, Aaron worked morning shifts, night shifts, and of course the ‘Overnight’ (a program he absolutely loved working on), but he always found a way to make both ordinary and special times with our daughter Gabby and me,” Raynor said. “These last few years, when we have all been able to live in the same city, have been the sweetest time for Aaron and me.”

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Aaron Brown leaves behind his wife, Charlotte Raynor, his daughter, two grandchildren, and his siblings, a brother and sister.

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