NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58

[leobold1]

NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58

Host of 'Meet the Press' Stricken While at Office

By Howard Kurtz and William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 13, 2008; 5:30 PM

Tim Russert, the Democratic operative turned NBC commentator who revolutionized Sunday morning television and infused journalism with his passion for politics, died this afternoon.

Russert, 58, collapsed while recording voiceovers for his Sunday morning interview program, NBC reported. He was initially reported to have suffered a heart attack while working in his office on Washington's Nebraska Avenue, but the network said later only that he was "stricken at the bureau" and subsequently died. Further details were not immediately available.

Russert served as NBC's Washington bureau chief and the host of "Meet the Press," the top-rated Sunday talk show, which had an enormous influence on politics and was marked by his aggressive style of interrogation. As a frequent commentator on the "Today" show, "NBC Nightly News" and other shows, Russert wielded such clout that when he declared that Sen. Barack Obama had wrapped up the Democratic nomination last month, his pronouncement was treated as a news event in itself.

Russert's television career was marked by a voracious appetite for politics and a shrewd understanding of how politicians interact with the media. He also wrote a book about his father, titled "Big Russ and Me." Last week, he moved Big Russ to a nursing facility.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw gave MSNBC viewers the news of Russert's death at 3:40 p.m.

"He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks," Brokaw said, adding: "This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice."

Brokaw said Russert had just returned from a family trip to Italy with his wife, writer Maureen Orth. They were celebrating the graduation of their son, Luke, from Boston College this spring, Brokaw said.

Russert served as host of "Meet the Press" longer than any other person and was "one of the premier political analysts and journalists of his time," Brokaw said. He began hosting "Meet the Press" in 1991.

Tributes to Russert began pouring in as news of his death circulated.

President Bush said in a statement from Paris, where he is on a European tour, that he and first lady Laura Bush "are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert." Bush continued: "As the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television, he was 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."

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican candidate for president in the November elections, called Russert "truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America." In a statement, McCain added: "He was just a terrific guy. I was proud to call him a friend."

Obama (D-Ill.) issued a statement in which he described himself as "grief-stricken with loss." The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who met Russert in Boston in 2004 when Obama addressed his party's national convention, said, "There wasn't a better interviewer on television, a more thoughtful analyst about politics."

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said: "Tim was a warm and gracious family man with a great zest for life and an unsurpassed passion for his work. His rise from working-class roots to become a well-respected leader in political journalism is an inspiration to many. Tim asked the tough questions the right way and was the best in the business at keeping his interview subjects honest."

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) said Russert's reputation was such that when Kerry announced his decision to run for president in 2004, "the only place to do it was on "Meet the Press." Kerry said Russert "loved to hold the big guys accountable, and in the original, intelligent, studied way he did it, he emerged as the biggest guy of all."

Russert was born May 7, 1950, in Buffalo, N.Y., the son of Irish American parents. His father was a World War II veteran who worked two blue-collar jobs while raising four children in a working-class neighborhood in South Buffalo. Raised as a staunch Roman Catholic, Russert attended Buffalo's Jesuit Canisius High School and went on to study law at Cleveland State University.

He got his start in New York Democratic politics, working on the political campaigns of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Gov. Mario Cuomo. He served as chief of staff to Moynihan from 1977 to 1982 and was a counselor in Cuomo's Albany office from 1983 to 1984.

Russert was hired by NBC at its Washington bureau in 1984 and became the network's Washington bureau chief four years later.

[Woodmonkey]

He was a genuinely nice man from all I've read before today.

[leobold1]

Not sure "nice" is a word I'd use. Hard, but fair. Played it straight up, but was agressive in his questions.

Off camera, he was a hell of a nice guy, on camera, not so much.

I guess I'd have to use the word "respected". By friends and foes alike.

[Woodmonkey]

Good word to describe what I've been hearing.

[Woodmonkey]

Tim Russert, who became one of America's leading political journalists as the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died Friday, the network said. He was 58.

Tim Russert established himself as the face of NBC's political journalism as host of "Meet the Press."

The network said the award-winning journalist collapsed at work Friday. He was taken to Washington's Sibley Memorial Hospital, where he died, the hospital confirmed.

Colleague and former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw broke the news on the network Friday shortly after 3:40 p.m.

Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Italy with his wife, journalist Maureen Orth, and son, Luke, to celebrate his graduation from Boston College, Brokaw said.

"I think I can invoke personal privilege and say this news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice," Brokaw said Friday.

"He will be missed as he was loved -- greatly." Video Watch Brokaw break the news »

Friends and colleagues remembered Russert on Friday not only as one of the country's most respected and influential political journalists, but also as a friend, a devout Catholic and an avid sports fan, especially when it came to his home team, the Buffalo Bills. Video Watch politicians, journalists pay homage to Russert »

"I just loved the guy. He had this enthusiasm about all of the things that life brings to you," said James Carville, who often attended Washington National games with Russert. "My wife and I are in a complete state of utter shock." Video Watch as Carville describes his friendship with Russert »

Russert was born May 7, 1950, in Buffalo, New York. His parents were Timothy John Russert Sr., or "Big Russ," a newspaper truck driver and sanitation worker, and Elizabeth Russert.

He was one of the most influential names in politics. Larry King remembers the late Tim Russert in a special hour.

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown ordered that all flags on city property be lowered immediately to half-staff in Russert's honor.

He was a graduate of Canisius High School, John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was a member of the bar in New York and the District of Columbia, according to a biography on CNBC.com

Before joining NBC, Russert served as press secretary for former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and as chief of staff to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Russert joined the network in 1984 and quickly established himself as the face of the network's political coverage, eventually becoming senior vice president and Washington bureau chief of NBC news.

His career at NBC was marked by a number of milestones. In 1985, Russert supervised live broadcasts of the "Today" show from Rome, Italy, negotiating an appearance by Pope John Paul II -- a first for American television.

He was also the recipient of numerous awards for his work, including an Emmy in 2005 for his coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan.

His rise to prominence coincided with his success as the best-selling author of two books, 2004's "Big Russ and Me" and 2006's "Wisdom of Our Fathers," which documented his journey from blue-collar beginnings to law school to Washington powerhouse. Video Watch Russert talk about lessons he learned from his father on CNN's Larry King Live »

The memoirs, both of which were New York Times best sellers, transformed the award-winning journalist into the son of Big Russ, a Buffalo Bills fanatic, and finally, a husband and father. Video Watch Russert talk about his son's first tattoo »

"Tim was a true child of Buffalo and the blue-collar roots from which he was raised," Brokaw said Friday. "For all his success, he was always in touch with the ethos of that community."

Russert credited his upbringing with helping him keep his ego in check as he became the man who interviewed presidents and important politicians of the day. iReport.com: Send your memories of Russert

"If you come from Buffalo, everything else is easy. Walking backwards to school, for a mile in the snow, grounds you for life," Russert told the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz in 2004. "Plus, if you have a family the way I do, it's a daily reality check."

Russert, who also served as a political analyst for cable network MSNBC, took the helm of "Meet the Press" in 1991, turning the long-running Sunday-morning interview program into the most-watched show of its kind in the United States.

During his 17-year run as the host of "Meet the Press," the longest of any host in the show's 60-year history, Russert earned the respect and admiration of many journalists and politicians.

"He was 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," President Bush said Friday.

His professionalism earned him many accolades. The Washingtonian Magazine once dubbed Russert the best and most influential journalist in Washington, describing "Meet the Press" as "the most interesting and important hour on television."

In 2008, TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Brokaw described Russert as a political junkie who threw himself into his work during this year's presidential contest.

"This was one of the most important years of Tim's life for many reasons," Brokaw said. "He loved this political campaign. He worked himself to the point of exhaustion many weeks."

[Woodmonkey]

The Many Gifts of Tim Russert

By David S. Broder
Saturday, June 14, 2008; A15

When Tim Russert took over "Meet the Press" in 1991, he was already well known to political reporters as the shrewd, inventive and very funny flack for Pat Moynihan and Mario Cuomo -- a spokesman almost as quotable as those two marvelously gifted speakers.

We didn't know what kind of a journalist Tim would be -- or even whether he was serious about being one. It didn't take long to figure out that he would be one of the best -- and most fearless -- in the business.

When "Meet the Press" went to Texas in 1992 to interview Ross Perot, the wealthy businessman-turned-independent presidential candidate took strong offense to Russert's aggressive questions and threatened to walk out halfway through. Tim stared him down, and the interview ran its full course.

Sitting next to Tim many Sunday mornings on the NBC set, I had a close-up view of his mind at work -- testing, probing, moving on. His questioning was completely efficient but never officious. Both the viewers and the guests could tell he really liked the newsmakers he was interviewing.

I am generally a skeptic when it comes to the many people who jump from the political world into television or punditry. I almost always suspect some of them are just waiting to move back. But Tim was clearly smitten with his new world. He loved his NBC buddies, and he bragged on them. He loved talking to that big audience, sharing and showing off his political smarts.

He never would have left journalism. Nothing else gave him that kind of charge. But as soon as the camera lights went off at 10 a.m. on Sunday, he relaxed. Ali, the NBC butler, brought out the platters of shrimp and glasses of juice, and the reporters who had been on the roundtable (and sometimes the last interviewee) would join Tim and executive producer Betsy Fischer for a lengthy exchange of political gossip. When a birthday or anniversary was imminent, there would be cake. And at Christmas, a brass ensemble would play carols.

What the television audience did not know was how generous Tim was in his personal relationships. Family came first, but he took the time for friendships, and he nourished them. That is why his death yesterday leaves such a large void in this community.

The Source