Tim Russert dies of a heart attack

By Tracy Bell

Published: June 13, 2008

STAFFORD — NBC “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert has died of an apparent heart attack at age 58, according to family members who spoke to the Associated Press.

Russert was also senior vice president and Washington bureau chief of NBC.

A self-described Irish Catholic from Buffalo, N.Y., Russert has said in the past that he’s enjoyed interviews with many a guest, including actor and comedian Bob Newhart, comedian Jay Leno, media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner and actress Jane Fonda. 

He’s also enjoyed interviews with sports legends including “Yogi” Berra, Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.

Often surrounded by legends, Russert wrote a book on his own personal hero and inspiration. The book, “Big Russ and Me: Father and Son — Lessons of Life,” is about his father.

The book chronicles life lessons his father taught him about discipline, accountability and perseverance.

In October 2006, Russert visited Fredericksburg’s University of Mary Washington as a guest at the school’s Fredericksburg Forum in Dodd Auditorium. He spoke about partisan politics, Iraq, political scandals and the 2008 presidential race.

Ranny Corbin, executive director of university relations and communications at UMW, said Friday that she had just learned of Russert’s death.

“I am distraught,” she said, adding that she had heard Russert speak at the school in October 2006, and watched him on a regular basis ever since.

Corbin, who organizes the Fredericksburg Forums as part of her job, said that Russert seemed to be a meticulous researcher who always had video clips on hand to back up his points during his television shows. He was someone who didn’t seem to make the people he was interviewing feel awkward was someone who seemed like a friendly person. It is special, she added, that he was able to write the book he dedicated to his father.

“It’s quite a loss,” Corbin said of Russert’s death, adding, “I’m glad we were able to have him.”

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., released a statement Friday, noting: “I am stunned and saddened by Tim Russert’s sudden passing. I have always had the utmost respect for his dedication and contributions to the open air of free debate that so defines our system. I will miss him greatly.”

Successful as it is long running, Russert’s show, “Meet the Press” became the longest-running program in the history of television. Russert took the lead on the show in 1991.

During the forum, Russert acknowledged that he had been asked to do other things, but he simply wasn’t interested.

In preparation for shows, Russert said he read six to seven newspapers per day, along with magazines and journals. He also sampled programs led by TV personalities including Larry King, Bill O’Reilly and Jon Stewart.

During the talk at the forum, Russert spoke about the limitations of television, about how reporters must know when not go with a story and how Sept. 11, 2001 changed him forever.

Russert said his job at “Meet the Press” was to learn as much as he could about his guests and take the other side by challenging them.

“There may be a lot of people smarter than me,” he said at the forum, “but nobody is better prepared.”