Atlanta-based CNN investigative reporter Drew Griffin has died

“Drew’s death is a devastating loss to CNN and our entire profession,” CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a memo to staff. “Drew’s work had incredible impact and embodied the mission of this organization in every way.”

His investigative pieces on medical delays at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals resulting in numerous deaths led to the resignation of the department secretary and federal legislation that improved how VA medical appointments are now handled.

His pieces on sexual assaults by Uber drivers led to a change in the way Uber handled such complaints, so victims were no longer forced to go into arbitration and sign non-disclosure agreements.

“He was an amazing investigative journalist and a great guy with a great sense of humor,” said Mary Lynn Ryan, a CNN producer and executive for 24 years until 2019. She said he was very popular and well respected in the newsroom by both colleagues and bosses.

But Griffin was also game to handle breaking news. “He rescued a guy from a sinking car during one of the hurricanes,” she recalled, referencing an incident in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey.

CNN noted how he gleaned details about fraud at Trump University from a former executive and confirmed that Mike Lindell’s claims of voter fraud in 2020 were unfounded.

Born in Chicago, Griffin worked at TV stations in Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington before becoming an investigative reporter at CBS 2 News in Los Angeles in 1994. He joined CNN in 2004, living in metro Atlanta, including Alpharetta and Duluth.

He is survived by his wife Margot and daughter Ele Gast, sons Louis and Miles Griffin and two grandchildren.