John F. Burns, the legendary and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent for The New York Times, died on March 12, 2026, at the age of 81, in a nursing home near Cambridge, England.
He was widely regarded as the “dean of American foreign correspondents” and often described as the Times’ “top foreign correspondent firefighter” for his ability to respond quickly to the world’s most dangerous hot spots.
Career Highlights
• Pulitzer Prizes:
1993: For reporting on the destruction of Sarajevo and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1997: For reporting on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
• Key Assignments: During his 40-year career with the Times, he served as bureau chief in Baghdad (covering the Iraq War), Kabul, Islamabad, New Delhi, Moscow, Beijing and Johannesburg.
The last years and the legacy
Burns retired from the Times in 2015 after writing more than 3,300 articles. He died of pneumonia after a long battle with cancer. His reporting is often cited as the gold standard of international journalism, known for its eloquence and historical depth.
John in Sarajevo
Burns won his first Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in 1993 for coverage of the destruction of Sarajevo and the Bosnian war.
• Sarajevo Cellist: One of his most famous reports described Vedran Smailović, a cellist who played Albinoni’s Adagio in the middle of a Sarajevo street while shells exploded around him, symbolizing civilization in the midst of barbarism.
• “Shoe leather journalism”: He was praised for his “ironclad” approach, often reporting under sniper fire and experiencing the same hardships as the townspeople.
War comrades
These are all undeniable facts about the great journalist. Here are a few words about a great man and comrade. John appeared right at the beginning of the siege of Sarajevo. Tall, strong, striking, always on the move. Goran Milić, Ademir Kenović and I told him that he was an ideal target for a sniper. He always carried with him a small liquid pencil and an even smaller wooden pencil, the school one, which he shortened and used to write everything down. Always precise, he referred to his interlocutors in his texts. He was among the first to show the world what was happening in Sarajevo under siege. Among the first to announce to the world who is the aggressor and who is the victim. We took him to destroyed houses, among destroyed families, among people whom he loved as only a man who has seen everything can love, from Africa, China, Afghanistan…
He was the best among us, he adds. He especially liked talking to Ademir, because he wanted to hear his experiences as a film director, how he views the suffering in Sarajevo. He was charmed by the bravery of the city’s inhabitants and the civilized behavior of its inhabitants. When he had, he shared cigars and some drinks with us. We loved it the most when he shared his stories with us. Finally he said “I am one of you.” “You are and we are proud that you are ours” – they would answer him. Many foreign journalists came to wartime Sarajevo, and John Burns was the biggest. Rest in peace and thank you dear John, Puljić wrote.
