Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and war correspondent Peter Arnett has died at the age of 91, US media has reported.
Arnett won the international reporting prize in 1996 for his Vietnam War coverage at the Associated Press (AP). However, he is perhaps best known for his work at CNN, where he became a household name while reporting on the first Gulf War.
His career spanned decades and covered several conflicts in countries including Iraq, Vietnam, and El Salvador.
The New Zealand-born journalist died on Wednesday surrounded by family and friends in California, according to his son. He was receiving hospice care for prostate cancer.
Arnett first worked for AP as a wire-service correspondent in Vietnam from 1962 until the war's end in 1975, often accompanying troops on missions. His vivid and often harrowing accounts of war drew international attention and acclaim.
In 1997, Arnett became the first Western journalist to interview Osama Bin Laden at a secret hideout in Afghanistan, making his mark as a key figure in military journalism.
Born in 1934 in Riverton, New Zealand, Arnett later naturalized as an American citizen and had lived in southern California since 2014. Colleagues and friends remember him as an intrepid reporter whose stories shaped the public’s understanding of global conflicts.
Edith Lederer of AP remarked, Peter Arnett was one of the greatest war correspondents of his generation - intrepid, fearless, and a beautiful writer and storyteller.
He leaves behind his wife Nina Nguyen and their children, Andrew and Elsa.
