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   NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing

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Topic: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing (Read 649 times)

yesteach
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NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« on: Jun 13^th, 2008, 7:32pm »

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NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing

Jun 13, 7:41 PM (ET)

By DAVID ESPO and LAURIE KELLMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tim Russert, a political lifer who made a TV career of his passion with unrelenting questioning of the powerful and influential, died of a heart attack Friday in the midst of a presidential campaign he'd covered with trademark intensity. Praise poured in from the biggest names in politics, some recalling their own meltdown moments on his hot seat.

Russert, 58, was a political operative before he was a journalist. He joined NBC a quarter century ago and ended up as the longest-tenured host of the Sunday talk show "Meet the Press."

He was an election-night fixture, with his whiteboard and scribbled figures, and was moderator for numerous political debates. He wrote two best-selling books, including the much-loved "Big Russ and Me" about his relationship with his father.

He was NBC's Washington bureau chief.

President Bush, informed of Russert's death while at dinner in Paris, saluted him as "a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it."

NBC interrupted its regular programming with news of Russert's death and continued for several hours of coverage without commercial break. The network announced that Tom Brokaw would anchor a special edition of "Meet the Press" on Sunday, dedicated to Russert.

Competitors and friends jumped in with superlative praise and sad recognition of the loss of a key voice during a historic presidential election year. Known as a family man as well, he had been named Father of the Year by parenting organizations.

Familiar NBC faces such as Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams took turns mourning his loss.

Williams called him "aggressively unfancy."

"Our hearts are broken," said Mitchell, who appeared emotional at times as she recalled her longtime colleague.

Bob Schieffer, Russert's competitor on CBS' "Face the Nation," said the two men delighted in scooping each other.

"When you slipped one past ol' Russert," he said, "you felt as though you had hit a home run off the best pitcher in the league. I just loved Tim and I will miss him more than I can say."

NBC said Friday evening that Russert died of a heart attack. Michael A. Newman, Russert's internist, said resuscitation was begun immediately and continued at Sibley Memorial Hospital, to no avail. An autopsy was pending, Newman said.

Russert, of Buffalo, N.Y., took the helm of the Sunday news show in December 1991 and turned it into the nation's most widely watched program of its type. His signature trait was an unrelenting style of questioning that made some politicians reluctant to appear, yet confident that they could claim extra credibility if they survived his grilling intact.

(AP) In this June 8, 2005 file photo, NBC News' Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief Tim...
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"I can say from experience that joining Tim on "Meet the Press" was one of the greatest tests any public official could face," said Rep. John Boehner, House Republican leader. "Regardless of party affiliation, he demanded that you be straight with him and with the American people who were watching."

Russert was also a senior vice president at NBC, and this year Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He had Buffalo's blue-collar roots, a Jesuit education, a law degree and a Democratic pedigree that came from his turn as an aide to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

Lawmakers from both parties lined up to sing his praises after his sudden death.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Russert was "the best in the business at keeping his interview subjects honest."

"There wasn't a better interviewer in television," Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender, told reporters in Ohio.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama's rival for the White House, hailed Russert as the "pre-eminent journalist of his generation."

Carl P. Leubsdorf, president of the Gridiron Club, an organization of journalists, said, "It was a measure of the degree to which Tim Russert was respected in the journalistic world that he was the first broadcaster elected to membership in the Gridiron Club after the rules were changed in 2004 to end our century-old restriction to print journalists."

Said longtime colleague Brokaw, the former NBC anchor: "He'll be missed as he was loved - greatly."

The network said on its Web site that Russert had been recording voiceovers for this Sunday's "Meet The Press" when he was stricken.

He had dozens of honorary college degrees, and numerous professional awards.

He won an Emmy for his role in the coverage of President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004.

He was married to Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine. The couple had one son, Luke.

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Dixie
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Re: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« Reply #1 on: Jun 13^th, 2008, 10:15pm »

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I for one am greatly saddened to hear this. He was a great reporter, always fair, and always asked tough questions, of both parties. You don't see that much anymore. I saw him speak a couple of years ago at Kutztown University and he talked about elections, and his book, Big Russ and me. He was a great speaker, very smart, and I just loved him. You could see how much he loved his family, how close he was to his dad, and how much he loved his sons.

Truly a great man and I will miss him. I can't think of a single person who could fill his shoes, in an UNBIASED way on Meet the Press. :bigcry:

« Last Edit: Jun 13^th, 2008, 10:16pm by Dixie »

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yesteach
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Re: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« Reply #2 on: Jun 14^th, 2008, 9:49am »

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I know.. I've been misty-eyed all morning watching the "tribute" on NBC. Matt Lauer did well to close it out without losing it...the lady (forgotten who it was) on CNN radio yesterday said, before she started, that she was hired by Tim Russert when she started out in news, so if she started to break up, she was apologizing now... she got through it.. but you could tell she was about to cry by the end of it...

I think the suddenness of it has been such a shock to them, they're having a hard time reporting... Tom Brokaw is going to host Meet the Press tomorrow morning... and it's going to be a tribute to Tim Russert - with past guests sharing their thoughts and memories...

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lakelady
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Re: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« Reply #3 on: Jun 15^th, 2008, 7:51am »

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Man oh man. I'm in shock. He was only 58! And right before Father's Day. Very sad.

This hits home so much for me because I studied broadcast journalism in college and wanted to be a news anchor or reporter. Course, when I graduated, I interviewed with TV stations and found out I would live as a miser. So I admire and have a reverance for those who were able to stick it out and rise above the average reporters to make a name for themselves. And that, he did. I have to believe that he died where he was happiest in the world - preparing his newscast for the weekend. Also, that he had just spent quality time with his family after his son's graduation and had just moved his dad to a new home.
Rest in peace, Mr. Russert. You will not be forgotten.

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Heather
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Re: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« Reply #4 on: Jun 15^th, 2008, 12:53pm »

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It's sad that someone could die so young...

Was he at home or at the studio when he had the heart attack?

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yesteach
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Re: NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
« Reply #5 on: Jun 15^th, 2008, 1:59pm »

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I think they said he was at the bureau office...

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