CNN Vet Tom Mintier Has Died

By Mark Joyella 

Tom Mintier, a longtime CNN correspondent and the network’s bureau chief in Bangkok and London, has died.

The Nation reports Mintier died in Thailand on Sunday, though no cause of death was released.

“Tom Mintier, a CNN legend, an old friend, has just died,” said CNN opinion contributor Frida Ghitis on Twitter. “Condolences to his wife, daughter, and all his family in Thailand and US.”

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When Mintier was appointed London bureau chief in 1998, the network outlined his extensive experience covering some of the biggest stories in modern history:

Mintier was a CNN national correspondent based in Atlanta. He was one of the network’s primary reporters during the Gulf War, reporting daily from Baghdad during the invasion of Kuwait. Mintier also covered the ground war from Saudi Arabia and later anchored a CNN Special Report from the burning oil fields of Kuwait.

Mintier has reported live from the scene of several major, historic breaking news events, including the 1989 student rebellion in Tiananmen Square; the 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall; the U.S. invasion and capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama; and the 1989 summit between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Cuban President Fidel Castro in Cuba. Mintier also has covered more than 25 space missions for CNN, and was the only network television journalist in the world reporting live as the 1986 space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing the seven astronauts aboard.

Mintier has received special prestigious awards for his work, including Emmys for coverage of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing and the 1989 Tiananmen Square student uprising.

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