DENVER  An award-winning Colorado journalist and former Denver7 reporter, Cynthia Hessin, died Friday after a battle with cancer. She was 73.Those who remember Denver TV news in the 80s and 90s are probably familiar with Hessins brand of hard-hitting journalism.She was a staple of Denver local news in those decades, bringing many issues to light and winning several awards for her work.Hessin was born in Albuquerque, NM, in 1951 and graduated from Arvada High School.She started her journalism career in radio at KBOL in Boulder. She then moved on to television, working as a reporter for KCNC-TV from 1979 to 1984.She started with Denver7 in 1984, working as a reporter and anchor for the station for 11 years. During her tenure with KMGH-TV, she won numerous Emmys.Her last position was with Rocky Mountain PBS, where she moderated Colorado Matters for several years.In the more than 40 years she worked in Colorado journalism, she was awarded 18 Emmys and many other local press awards.She also served as president of the Denver Press Club and was active in the Denver Womens Press Club.