Veteran investigative journalist Drew Griffin died Saturday after a long battle with cancer, his family confirmed to CNN. He was 60.

"Drew’s death is a devastating loss to CNN and our entire profession," CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a note to staff. "A highly acclaimed investigative journalist, Drew’s work had incredible impact and embodied the mission of this organization in every way."

Griffin won multiple awards over the years for his reporting, including an Emmy in 2017 for his investigation into the Trump University fraud case.

"Fearless and artful at the same time, he knew how to push a story forward to its limits, but also tell it in a way that would make everyone understand," CNN’s Executive Vice President of Programming Michael Bass shared with the CNN investigative team on Sunday. "How many times has he chased an unwilling interviewee? How many times has he spoken truth to power? How many times has he made a difference on something important … It was an honor to be his colleague and to be witness to his work and the ways it changed the world."

A Chicago native, Griffin started his career as a reporter and cameraman for WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois. After stints with stations all over the country, he became an investigative reporter when he joined KIRO-TV in Seattle. He later joined CBS 2 News in Los Angeles in January 1994, where he worked as a reporter and anchor and helped create the station’s investigative reporting team and won multiple local awards.

Patricia DiCarlo, Executive Producer of CNN’s investigative unit, compared her decade working with Griffin to "winning the career lottery."

"There are just so many people who worked with him and loved him – this is a devastating loss," DiCarlo said, reflecting on the team of producers who closely worked with Griffin on his stories. "There was no one else like him. We were Team Drew."

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

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