Ernie Anastos Cause of Death: Legendary NYC News Anchor Dies at 82 From Pneumonia
Ernie Anastos, the man who delivered the news to New York City for more than four decades across four network stations, died Thursday morning of pneumonia. He was 82 years old. The city he covered for a lifetime lost one of its most recognized voices overnight.
Cause of Death: Pneumonia
His wife Kelly confirmed he died early Thursday morning of pneumonia at Northern Westchester Hospital. No further medical details were released by the family. Anastos had appeared active as recently as March 3, when he posted a video to social media. In it, he spoke about the importance of truth in journalism and the need to protect it — a fitting final message from a man who spent his entire adult life in service of the craft.
A Career Built Across Four New York Stations
Few broadcasters have anchored at four flagship network stations in the same market. Anastos did exactly that. A native of New Hampshire, he got his start in Boston at WRKO and WROR before moving to WPRI-TV in Providence, where he first sat in an anchor chair.
New York came calling in 1978. He spent 11 years as an anchor at Eyewitness News on WABC beginning that year, later moving to WCBS, then WWOR, and finally WNYW Fox 5 — where he signed a landmark $10 million contract in 2005 and remained until 2019. He departed Fox 5 not for retirement, but for Harvard Business School, where he enrolled to study leadership and management courses.
Anastos holds the distinction of being the United States' first Greek-American television news anchorman. In a business defined by competition, that was a ceiling he broke quietly and permanently.
More Than 30 Emmys, a Lifetime Award, and a Day Named in His Honor
The trophy case was substantial. Anastos earned more than 30 Emmy Awards throughout his career, including the Lifetime Emmy Award — broadcast television's highest professional honor. The Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in writing sits alongside them.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared March 21, 2017 "Ernie Anastos Day" in the city — recognition of a presence so steady, so long-running, that it had become part of the fabric of daily life for generations of New Yorkers.
He covered history as it happened. Anastos reported on the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the death of John Lennon, and the COVID-19 pandemic — three of the most defining crises in modern New York history, each delivered to a city that turned to him for clarity.
'Positively Ernie' and a Final Chapter Still in Progress
Retirement, by any conventional definition, never arrived. Most recently, Anastos launched his own nationally syndicated radio show, "Positively America," on WABC-AM radio, aimed at promoting uplifting stories to inspire and educate listeners. The program was an extension of his "Positively Ernie" television brand — a deliberate pivot toward optimism that his colleagues say reflected exactly who he was off camera.
"Ernie was beloved. He was always positive. He never lost his passion, and he never was cynical. He treated every day like it was his first day on the job. Ernie knew everybody, and everybody loved Ernie," CBS New York said in a statement Thursday.
He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Marist College, New York Institute of Technology, Manhattanville College, Curry College, and Sacred Heart University. Anastos is survived by his wife Kelly. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
