Overview

• Family and WHDH-TV confirmed Barnett passed away Sunday in Minneapolis after a battle with cancer
• Barnett joined 7News in 1983 and spent 38 years at the station before retiring in 2021
• He reported on landmark events including the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the Oklahoma City bombing and high-profile trials such as Aaron Hernandez’s and Whitey Bulger’s
• Barnett hosted the long-running public affairs program Urban Update and was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2017
• Colleagues remembered him as a brilliant broadcaster whose compassionate reporting resonated with viewers and noted he is survived by his wife, Kathleen