Tim Russert Dead Of Heart Attack

2:19 pm EST June 13th, 2008 | Media | 18 Comments

I’m hearing that Tim Russert may have had a fatal heart attack. Can anyone confirm this? It’s a wild rumor at this point, so take with a giant salt lick…

UPDATE: Wikipedia now lists today as his day of death. Has anyone seen anything solid?

NY TIMES: Tim Russert Is Dead of a Heart Attack, His Family Says

NY POST:

Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of “Meet the Press,” has died after collapsing at NBC’s Washington news bureau, a source said. He was 58 years old.

UPDATE: And Fox News is now going on about how Russert was from a liberal family… can’t help themselves.

Tom Brokaw announces Tim Russert’s death on NBc:

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18 Responses to “Tim Russert Dead Of Heart Attack”

  1. Kevin says:
    June 13, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06132008/news/nationalnews/tim_russert_dies_from_apparent_heart_att_115384.htm

  2. Sean D. Martin says:
    June 13, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Only found reference in NY Post so far.

    Nothing yet on MSNBC or Meet the Press’s own sites.

  3. Dr. Squid says:
    June 13, 2008 at 2:39 pm

    Nothing on MSNBC yet, either. They do bother to announce that R. Kelly got acquitted on all counts, though. Okaaaay.

  4. Duros62 says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Msnbc has it now.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25145431/?GT1=43001

    Sad.

  5. UncommonSense says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    The NBC News heavy hitters are covering it on MSNBC right now. I don’t know how they’re getting through it.

    The NYT has this:

    Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of NBC Nightly News, came on the air at 3:39 p.m. and reported that Mr. Russert had collapsed and died early this afternoon while at work. He had just returned from Italy with his family.

    “Our beloved colleague,” a grave Mr. Brokaw called him, one of the premier journalists of our time. He said this was one of the most important years in his life, with his deep engagement in the network’s political coverage, and that he “worked to the point of exhaustion.” Mr. Brokaw said Mr. Russert was a true child of Buffalo and always stayed in touch with his blue collar roots and “the ethos of that community.”

    He said Mr. Russert had just moved his father, who is in his late 80s, from one facility to another in Buffalo. He said he loved his family, his Catholic faith, his country, politics, the Buffalo Bills, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.
    “This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice,” Mr. Brokaw said.

    After Mr. Brokaw made the announcement, the network switched to Brian Williams, the anchor of the NBC News, who is reporting from Afghanistan this week. Mr. Williams broke down as he tried to describe what the loss meant to his network family.

    The network is struggling through shock and grief to bring the story of Mr. Russert’s life and journalistic achievements to its viewers immediately. Andrea Mitchell is describing him as “the pre-eminent journalist of our time” and said he was her mentor.

  6. Howie says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    bummer

  7. Kevin Hayden says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    Nice work, Oliver; after checking my feeder reads, you had the first report of this at 3:19. I heard it on an NBC news bulletin at 4:39, Democratic Underground had it earlier, at 4:34, several at DKos had it at 4:34, along with Booman, and John Aravosis. Think Progress had it at 4:36, and others started flooding in at 4:40.

    So you beat everyone by 75 minutes.

    Now that’s what I call scooping the field! Kudos to you; I’m guessing you have an inside source at the network, so buy that person a beer.

    (I’m not dismissing the tragedy to the family; just noting that your blogjournamilasim scooped NBC itself, which I think is notable.)

  8. Tim Russert | Waveflux says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    [...] Willis heard a rumor that Tim Russert of NBC’s Meet the Press died of an apparent heart attack. The New York Post [...]

  9. UncommonSense says:
    June 13, 2008 at 3:34 pm
  10. Scratch says:
    June 13, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    I listened to the Fox News coverage and everyone I heard made a point of how fair he was. But thanks for bringing in the partisan politics Oliver…I know you can’t help yourself.

  11. Nimrod Gently says:
    June 13, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    He just keeled over, so it was almost certainly his heart.

  12. Oliver Willis says:
    June 13, 2008 at 5:17 pm

    Scratch: I didn’t bring it up, it was Neil Cavuto and Karl Rove that went down that road.

  13. SaveFarris says:
    June 13, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    We are all Buffalo Bills fans today…

  14. White Whale says:
    June 13, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    The man had his faults, but at his best he could hold people to the fire better than most of the punditocracy. Truly sad moment.

  15. Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle says:
    June 13, 2008 at 6:18 pm

    Scratch:
    And who was it that made the comment that Meet the Press was the preferred avenue to spread lies beneficial to King George? Remember the “Scooter” Libby trial? Remember who was outed during the trial as a tool for Darth Cheney? It was Timmeh!!

  16. Scratch says:
    June 13, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    Maybe deep vein thrombosis from his recent return flight from Italy? Rank speculation from a doctor on XM radio…sounds plausible.

  17. thereisnorule6 says:
    June 13, 2008 at 9:04 pm

    karma is a bitch.

  18. juhar19 says:
    June 14, 2008 at 1:09 am

    Thereisnorule6: “Karma is a bitch.”

    Why is karma a bitch and not a bastard? I am sure you are the authority on being either a bitch or bastard.

    Sharon Stone: “All these earthquake and stuff happened and I thought, ‘Is that karma?’ When you are not nice that bad things happen to you.”

    Karma is the same as the Biblical principle – What you sow, so shall you reap and the Bible says – Death and unforseen circumstances befall us all.

    Thereisnorule6 and Sharon Stone, people who understand and appreciate peaceful Hindu, Buddhist and Christian principles never make insensitive and cruel remarks like yours.