 Damn. Tim Russert died of a heart attack today, apparently while at work at NBC.
Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. He and his family had recently returned from Italy, where they celebrated the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College. No further details were immediately available. Jeez. He was only 58... For you locals, that's the same thing that happened to Bubba at AM940, and he was even younger...
BTW who knew Russert was a lawyer? This one's shocking as hell...
UPDATE: TVNewser has NBC News chief Jeff Zucker's statement:
We are heartbroken at the sudden passing of Tim Russert. We have lost a beloved member of our NBC Universal family and the news world has lost one of its finest. The enormity of this loss cannot be overstated. More than a journalist, Tim was a remarkable family man. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Maureen, their son, Luke, and Tim's entire extended family. The news spread quickly once it broke. The competing networks are all paying homage.
Not that it means a damned thing to his family, but am I the only one thinking, biggest election ever ... no Russert on the TV. Boy, does God have a wicked sense of humor...?
UPDATE 2: The shock is reverberating around the news business tonight. MSNBC has had on Howard Fineman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Peggy Noonan, a puffy-eyed Chuck Todd, a crying Jack Welch, David Gregory, Pat Buchanan, Eugene Robinson, Al Hunt, John Meacham, Andrea Mitchell, who choked up briefly when saying that Russert was one of only two people to call her "Mitch" (the other being her father,) and Chris Matthews, who called in from his vacation in Paris. Every cable news channel is doubling down on coverage, and the shell shock is evident on all the faces. Keith Olbermann seemed like he was ready to break down. Even Barbara Walters called in. Mitchell is at the helm on MSNBC now. The parade of journos will likely continue throughout the night.
The WaPo's The Fix blog says what everyone is thinking: nothing in political coverage will be the same. (Election night with no clipboard? Unbelievable...) | Labels: deaths, Meet the Press, NBC News, news and current affairs, Tim Russert |
