Tim Russert

I am so extremely surprised at how saddened that his death has made me.

He reminds me alot of Ernie Harwell.

May we all love our professions so much that they are truly our passions.

God bless him and his family.

I am glad he was able to see he see his son graduate from college and celebrate it in Italy,

This Fathers Day seems very valuable to me very suddenly

Kind of like a younger Ernie Harwell.



Russert was only like 58?


Sad!

Saturday, June 14, 2008
'Meet the Press' host Tim Russert dies
David Espo / Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Tim Russert, who pointedly but politely questioned hundreds of the powerful and influential as moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," died Friday of an apparent heart attack. The network's Washington bureau chief was 58.

In addition to his weekly program, Russert made periodic appearances on the network's other news shows, was moderator for numerous political debates and wrote two best-selling books.

President Bush, informed while at dinner in Paris, swiftly issued a statement of condolence that praised the NBC newsman as "an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades. Tim was 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 and in the ensuing moments, familiar faces such as Tom Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams took turns mourning his loss.

Williams called him "aggressively unfancy."

"Our hearts are broken," said Mitchell.

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 there 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.

He 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.

Russert 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.

One of his books, "Big Russ and Me," was about his relationship with his father.

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

Carl P. Leubsdorf, president of the Gridiron Club, an organization of journalists, said in a statement, "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."

"He was an enthusiastic member and a willing participant in our shows. His fellow Gridiron members join with all of those who knew and respected Tim in mourning his untimely death."

"Tim will be sorely missed because his years as Senate staffer and probing TV journalist gave him special insights on political and governmental issues," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. "Had he chosen law as a career, his cross-examination would have made him a star in that field as well."

"It is my sad duty to report this afternoon" that Russert collapsed and died while working in the network's Washington studios, Brokaw said when he came on the air.

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

Bio

NAME -- Tim Russert.
AGE-BIRTH DATE-LOCATION -- 58; born May 7, 1950, in Buffalo, N.Y.
EXPERIENCE
-- Moderator, NBC News' "Meet the Press," 1991-2008; Washington bureau
chief, NBC News, 1988-2008; reporter, NBC News, 1984-88; counselor, New
York Governor's office in Albany, N.Y., 1983-84; special counsel, U.S.
Senate, 1977-82.
EDUCATION -- Bachelor's degree, John
Carroll University, 1972; law degree, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
at Cleveland State University, 1976.
FAMILY -- Wife, Maureen Orth; son, Luke.
QUOTE
-- "I know what the conservatives think, what the liberals think, what
the Democrats think, what the Republicans think, and I try to master
both sides of an issue to a point where I'm totally confused as to what
I think." -- Russert, in a 2004 interview with CNN.
Associated Press

wow. Autopsy revealed an enlarged heart and plaque lining the arteries, yet he had a normal stress test in March or April.
Best way to go---suddenly and young.

I wanna be drunk off my ass when I die

okay!

Russert warmly remembered on 'Meet the Press'
By FRAZIER MOORE • ASSOCIATED PRESS TELEVISION WRITER • June 15, 2008

NEW YORK -- Tim Russert’s chair was empty on "Meet the Press" today, two days after his unexpected death.

But Russert was very much present on the full-hour tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC’s public-affairs program for more than 16 years.

"His voice has been stilled," began Tom Brokaw, who led the conversation, "and our issue this sad Sunday morning is remembering and honoring our colleague and our friend ..."

Brokaw and a half-dozen others were seated in front of the "Meet the Press" set and its angular table, left vacant, where Russert had presided as recently as last week.

Brokaw noted that Russert had a large wooden sign in his office that read: "Thou Shalt Not Whine," which Brokaw then supplemented with "Thou shalt not weep or cry this morning. This is a celebration."

But a bit later he choked up, recalling Russert’s words of awe at how far a working-class kid from Buffalo like himself could rise: "What a country!" he would marvel.

Lap's Comment: Hope some got to see this segment. It was a fitting tribute.