NBC's Tim Russert Dies of Heart Attack

While more recently I had not agreed with some of his reporting - e.g., beating the Rev. Wright story to death and in my view catering to Hillary Clinton during the primaries - I nonetheless was sad to learn that Tim Russert died this afternoon of a heart attack. I had watched him on "Meet the Press" just recently. It's perhaps even more of a shock now that I have realized that he was only a little more than two years older than me (I had thought he was older than 58 and I guess I don't look so bad for my age after all). I can certainly think of numerous people much more deserving of death than Russert. His unexpected death should be another wake up call to all of us that we truly do not know how much time we have in this life, so we need to enjoy the moment and find some magic and wonder in every passing day. My thoughts and condolences go out to his wife and son. I am glad that Russert had been able to vacation with his family just days ago. Here are some highlights from MSNBC:

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WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58. Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. He and his family had recently returned from Italy, where they celebrated the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College.

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Russert was best known as host of “Meet the Press,” which he took over in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television. But he was also a vice president of NBC News and head of its overall Washington operations, a nearly round-the-clock presence on NBC and MSNBC on election nights.

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Survivors include Russert’s wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, whom he met at the 1976 Democratic National Convention; and their son, Luke.