Friday, June 13, 2008
Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” as well NBC’s Washington bureau chief, has died.
Mr. Russert was a familiar face to millions of viewers who tuned in Sunday mornings to watch Meet the Press and hear him interview American and international political leaders.
Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of NBC Nightly News made the announcement this afternoon at 3:39PM, reporting that Mr. Russert had collapsed and died early this afternoon while at work. He had just returned from a vacation to Italy with his family.
Tim Russert, dead at 58.
From the Left 
How ironic. Russert drops dead at 58 and Dick Cheney, brimming with evil and cigarette breath, just keeps going and going.
This is shocking news. 58 is young in this day and age. Did Russert smoke or have a history of heart disease? He didn’t look terrible overweight on TV the last time I saw him. How sad for his family.
Russert drops dead at 58 and Dick Cheney, brimming with evil and cigarette breath, just keeps going and going.
Harry – You said it and what you said explains it.
Cheney IS evil and evil doesn’t die. I expect Cheney will be roaming the earth a hundred years from now.
To be perfectly candid, I always thought Russert looked unwell.
Not exactly obese but just unwell and maybe this came from being a workaholic.
I read once that Tim Russert worked 12 hour days as a TV journalist. He didn’t have to work that hard. He just loved his job.
My heart goes out to his family, to his friends and to his colleagues.
58 is so young. My father died at 60 but this was long before the advent of high blood pressure and high cholesterol pills.
This is shocking because I saw him so much during the primaries and compared to braindead blabbermouths like O’Reilly and Tweety, Tim Russert was a saint be comparison.
Makes me want to start on a diet and loose 25 pounds and begin to exercise more.
Russert was only 5 years older than me. It’s scary.
He was from my hometown and a Bills fan. dang. He was my favorite thing about Sunday mornings.
We are just crushed to hear this news. TR was one of the best out there and was so polite in asking such tough questions.
I am shocked.
Who dies at 58 years of age anymore? Russert never looked like a jock or a pretty boy, like Hillary’s surrogate George Stephanopolous, but he looked a hell of a lot healthier than Brit Hume or George Will.
Now the young ‘uns will begin jockeying to replace him on Meet the Press. I’d bet $100 that David Gregory already has his agent shopping him around for the job.
Harry & taco,
You guys are so right about Cheney. Nothing will kill him because he isn’t alive in the first place.
You can’t kill the undead.
Tim Russert just flew home from Italy? Even to the east coast you’re looking at a 7 or 8 hour flight. He could’ve had a pulmonary embolism. They are the number one cause of post-flight death and the condition is why they say you should always get up and move around on the flight or at very least, elevate your feet and do circular movements. Just saying.
You never know when Death will come for you.
If you can figure this out and duck, maybe Death will move on and take the next person but I don’t know how it all works.
RIP, Mr. Russert.
RIP Russert….sunday mornings will never be the same…..really sad….
Someone above asked if Tim smoked.
My mother smoked cigarettes for many, many years (inhaling them deeply) and lived to be 90 years old.
She never had any heart disease whatsoever…nor did she ever have cancer.
Genetics is a much more responsiblefor premature deaths such as this than the “evils” of tobacco.
Regards,
-Ward
His was the only Sunday morning political show I ever made a point to sit down and watch. Now, there is no Sunday morning political show to bother watching. What a shame.
Kelcy – Go fuck yourself. Have you no decency? Maybe you’ll be next and then everyone can laugh.
This ain’t right. Tim’s dad is still alive. That ain’t how life is supposed to unfold. You kids aren’t supposed to go first.
Tim Russert was one of the last of the greats in American journalism.
As cable news has morphed into a cesspool of chattering personalities (Chris Wallace, Jack Cafferty, and Chris Mathews to name a few) Russert seemed almost old fashioned. Always prepared and almost always fair — although there were many times I wanted him to be tougher, especially with people like Tom DeLay or Joe Wilson, he was a reminder of what journalism is all about.
I hope NBC doesn’t rush too quickly in finding his replacement. Anyone they select will suffer by comparison.
Only the good die young.
Like Harry said. This is the only explanation why Cheney just drags on and on and on. Like some character from a “B” Sci-Fi movie.
I heard the news on my way home this afternoon.
What I liked about Tim Russert is despite all his success and obvious wealth, he somehow seemed to retain his blue collar roots. His physical body may have been in Washington DC but his spirit was firmly planted in Buffalo, NY.
I knew very little about Tim Russert until I read his tribute book to his father, Big Russ and Me. I was drawn to this book because I have had a very turbulent relationship with my own father and there aren’t many books written about the unique relationship between a father and a son.
What a shame for his father to lose his son so unexpectantly.
wow~it may very well have been that long flight.
My heart goes out to his family; that poor son will never be the same, and so sad right here at father’s day 😦
There are many ways to gauge the greatness of a man or a woman who has passed away.
One measure is when people on both sides of the political spectrum say what is basically the very samething. When MSNBC and FOX call Russert a “decent man” and a “solid journalist” and a “caring human being,” you know someone special has died.
Of course, CNN is running Lou Dobbs and some segment bashing illegals from Mexico but you consider the source and move on.
My heart feels for his wife and his son and especially his aged father. Life can be cruel and often it just makes no sense.
RIP Mr. Russert.
58 is very young. The news of Tim Russert’s death prompted me to call my father and ask him how he’s doing and remind him to follow his heart diet. He drifts into the all-too-human state of resignation that heat disease just comes with getting older. He needs a razz from time to time from the people who love him. Tonight I was happy to do it.
Hey all, and Chris….I have the video of Obama’s statement- it really is so eloquent- and heartfelt- chris you come steal it okay ?
good thoughts to all….really sad…
remember “time is always a gift.”…always.
“Genetics is much more responsible for premature deaths such as this than the ‘evils’ of tobacco.”
CDC numbers: genetics is responsible for about half of heart disease, controllable factors the other half. The number one controllable factor: tobacco.
So there’s a sense in which the quoted assertion is correct. But for anyone who’s interested in what he can DO to prevent pointless, premature death, tobacco remains the place to start.
Ward Cleaver wrote “Genetics is a much more responsiblefor premature deaths such as this than the “evils” of tobacco.”
Ward–could you be ANY more ill-informed? Virtually no one with more than a 3rd grade education would dispute that tobacco is the #1 cause of preventable deaths in this country. Not even the tobacco industry tries to deny this. Does it kill EVERYONE who smokes? Well, duh…no, Ward. But talk to the families of the 400,000+ Americans who die each year DIRECTLY from cigarette smoking, and count your blessings that your mother is still alive…
Hey, Ward Cleaver, you idiot…read this:
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/notables.html
I’m 8 years older than was Tim Russert. Each year that passes I realize more and more that time is a gift. With the passing of each year we have one less summer to garden, one less Thanksgiving to spend with family, and one less baseball season to enjoy. Life is so fleeting and brief. It’s all terribly sad.
When I came to America I learned about politics from watching the Meet the Press program. I found the questions informative and the choice of guests top rate.
My sincerest sympathies to his family and friends. However, this is not unexpected.
Quick facts gleaned from the web: – he had diabetes, – he had high blood pressure, – he had problems with his HDL, LDL levels, – he rarely got enough sleep, and finally with a BMI over 40 he was “morbidly obese”.
Yes, he was on medications, but he never addressed the underlying issue. He never did lose the weight. Then recently, it was reported, his blood pressure was starting to rise, he was tiring during his regular exercise, and scans showed problems with his arteries. He was getting worse. The transatlantic flight probably didn’t help, but it only hurt him because of his condition.
There is a reason why they call it “MORBIDLY obese.” This was not a surprise, it happens all the time: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/155793
All of you: don’t trust luck, don’t rely on medication, save yourselves for your families sakes. Go for a walk and loose the weight now!