DAVID MUIR HALTS ABC SHOW AFTER DEVASTATING DEATH OF CO-STAR! C😱

ABC star David Muir paid an emotional tribute live on air as he remembered veteran New York news anchor Ernie Anastos following the beloved broadcaster’s death at 82 this week

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Muir shared some sad news with viewers(Image: abc)

David Muir has broken his silence following the death of legendary news anchor and his former colleague Ernie Anastos.

The ABC star paid an emotional tribute during a broadcast, remembering the veteran journalist who spent decades on television screens across New York. Anastos, who built a reputation as one of the most recognizable and respected anchors in the tri-state area, died at the age of 82.

It comes as Muir returned to ABC World News Tonight to share all of the latest breaking news – including recently revealing a segment about a missing retired Air Force major general. David paused to honor the broadcaster’s remarkable career in local news.

Delivering the heartfelt message on air, he told viewers, “Tonight here, we remember a long time news anchor with deep roots in New York City. Ernie Anastos spent 11 years at the anchor desk at WABC here in New York, beginning in the late ’70s before working at several other networks.

“A beloved presence for nearly 50 years in the tri-state area, multiple Emmy Awards, including the prestigious Lifetime Emmy Award, Ernie Anastos was 82. Look at that smile.”

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Ernie has tragically died this week(Image: Getty Images)

The star is said to have died of pneumonia at Northern Westchester Hospital on Thursday. Ernie was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on July 12, 1943. After studying sociology at Northeastern University, he then went on to forge a his career in radio in Boston.

He later moved into television, landing his first major anchoring role at WPRI-TV in Providence in 1976. Just two years later, he joined WABC‑TV in New York, where he became a familiar presence behind the desk on the station’s flagship Eyewitness News broadcasts.

Over the years Anastos worked at several of New York’s biggest stations, including WCBS‑TV, WWOR‑TV and WNYW, becoming one of the city’s most trusted news figures. His reporting covered major historic moments, including the September 11 attacks and the death of John Lennon in 1980.

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 Ernie Anastos was a great news journalist and presenter(Image: ABC)

Throughout his career, Anastos earned more than 30 Emmy Awards and nominations, including a prestigious Lifetime Emmy and the Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in broadcasting. Away from television, he also hosted the radio show Positively Ernie on WABC and authored books.

Elsewhere in the broadcast, viewers questioned whether the latest segment on ABC’s World News Tonight was truly worthy of the program’s airtime, with some critics branding the report a “waste of network news time.” During the show, Muir revealed an incident involving a passenger who was arrested after a confrontation with an off-duty officer while boarding a flight from Miami to Denver.

Fans reacted to the World News Tonight segment clip on Instagram, questioning whether it was actually newsworthy. “What a waste of network news time. This could be found all over social media. There are a numerable, political human rights and other stories around the world that could be covered, but instead this network news and others give us stuff that can be found on social media instead,” one user penned.

Another straight-up asked, “This is newsworthy?” while a third posted, “Slow day at the office lol.” A fourth asked, “Slow news night?” and another said, “Why is this “news”?? Doesn’t this kind of thing happen all the time?”