Former CNN news anchor Valerie Hoff DeCarlo has died at age 62 following a battle with lung cancer. She passed away last week, ending a chapter marked by both her work in journalism and a controversial exit from the profession.
Hoff DeCarlo began her national-television career with CNN in 1992 and remained there until 1999. She later worked at local station WXIA in Atlanta from 1999 until 2017. Her career came to a halt after a private message she wrote surfaced during an investigation into a story — the message used a racial slur, leading to suspension and ultimately her resignation.
Following her exit, she made a brief attempt at independent reporting via a personal blog, which was later removed. Outside journalism she was a mother of two sons, one adopted from Russia, and had endured a personal struggle with breast cancer years earlier.
Despite her efforts to stay active, her health deteriorated after a stage-4 lung cancer diagnosis in 2024. In the weeks before her passing she was still planning a family holiday and discussing Christmas preparations. Her husband remembered her as a “strong, loving woman and wonderful mother.”
Her death brings to a close a career that once saw prominent national exposure — and ends a decades-long life touched by both professional acclaim and personal challenge.