Tim Russert, host of 'Meet the Press,' dies of a heart attack at age 58
Updated: 09/25/09 2:30 PM
Buffalo native Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and author of books about his family and experience growing up in Buffalo, has died from a heart attack.
Longtime NBC anchor Tom Brokaw confirmed the death of "our beloved colleague" in a special report on NBC. Brokaw says Russert's death came during a political campaign that he loved. Russert, 58, was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams described Russert's style as "aggressively unfancy."
President Bush, informed of Russert's death 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."
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."
The cause of death was not immediately clear. The network said on its Web site that Russert died of a heart attack, but Michael A. Newman, Russert's internist, later said that resuscitation was begun immediately and continued at Sibley Memorial Hospital, to no avail. An autopsy was pending, Newman said.
Russert, who once served as press secretary for former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and as chief of staff to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, went on to become a force of his own in Washington politics through his position as moderator on "Meet the Press" and as NBC's Washington bureau chief. He was also a vice president of NBC News.
"Meet the Press" was securely at the top of the Sunday morning news shows, and Russert also made frequent appearances as a commentator on other NBC News programs. His use of hand-drawn charts to clarify points he made while covering elections was praised by media analysts at a time when networks were otherwise exploding with flashy graphics.
Politically savvy and, when necessary, pointed in his questioning, Russert nevertheless avoided the often shrill type of political punditry practiced by some of his colleagues. His straight-forward and informed coverage won him many awards, including an Emmy.
He said last year in a Time magazine interview, “Lawrence Spivak, who founded ‘Meet the Press,’ told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side. And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that’s what I try to do every Sunday.” Praise flowed quickly from those who knew Russert across the television interview room.
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."
Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, said Russert was "one of the smartest, toughest television news journalists of all time. ... I can say from experience that joining Tim on 'Meet the Press' was one of the greatest tests any public official could face."
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."
Russert grew up in South Buffalo and attended Canisius High School. He was also a graduate of John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
He frequently referred to his roots on his television show, and remained a booster of Buffalo's sports teams even after becoming one of the best-known faces in the Washington press corps.
He joined NBC in 1984 and took over the helm of "Meet the Press" in 1991, and at the time of his death had been the longest-serving host of the ground-breaking news show. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2008.
His books include "Big Russ and Me," a memoir of his childhood and the lessons learned from his father, and "Wisdom of Our Fathers," written after the huge response he received from his first book. Also, last week Russert reportedly had to move his father " Big Russ," to a nursing home.
Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, and his son, Luke. The family recently returned from a trip to Italy to celebrate Luke's graduation from Boston College.
In announcing his friend's death, Brokaw remarked, "He was a true child of Buffalo and the blue collar roots in which he was raised... Tim loved his family, his faith, his country, politics ... He loved the Buffalo Bills, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals."
