Tim Russert dead at 58

Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the moderator of "Meet the Press," died Friday after suffering a heart attack at the bureau. He was 58.Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday's "Meet the Press" broadcast when he collapsed. He was rushed to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.Russert's physician, Michael Newman, said cholesterol plaque ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis.Russert had earlier been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, but it was well-controlled with medication and exercise, and he had performed well on a stress test in late April, Newman said. An autopsy revealed that he also had an enlarged heart, Newman said.Russert's death left his colleagues devastated.He was "one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time," Tom Brokaw, the former longtime anchor of "NBC Nightly News," said in announcing Russert's death Friday afternoon. Brian Williams, managing editor and anchor of "NBC Nightly News," called his death a "staggering, overpowering and sudden loss.""Meet the Press," which he began hosting in 1991, was considered an essential proving ground in the career of any national politician.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: topnewsmakers

Length: 04:54
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