John Holliman, a Cable News Network correspondent known for his coverage of the gulf war from Baghdad, died Saturday in a car crash in suburban Atlanta. He was 49.

"This is a real loss to the CNN family," said fellow CNN correspondent Peter Arnett, who was with Holliman and Bernard Shaw in Baghdad for the start of the war in 1991. "He's the one who made that first broadcast possible. He had a real knowledge of broadcasting."Holliman was driving near his Snellville, Ga., home when he tried to pass another car in a no-passing zone. He ran head-on into an oncoming pickup truck, Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Jeff Sligar said.

Holliman died instantly, Sligar said. The driver of the truck, Richard Wesner, was treated and released at a hospital, and his son, Eric Wesner, was treated for broken bones, Sligar said.

There was no indication that alcohol use or excessive speed was involved, Sligar said.

View Comments

Before joining CNN in 1980 as part of the network's original broadcast team, Holliman was an agricultural editor for The Associated Press in Washington.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.