Tower Blog

Remembering Tim Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008)

June 14, 2008 by towerblog

This year’s presidential election coverage will not be the same without the late television journalist and lawyer, Tim Russet. He passed away of a heart attack last week, upon his return from Italy where his family was celebrating the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College. He was 58.

His unbiased and truthful reporting will leave a great void on the set of NBC’s Meet the Press, where he was broadcasted for 16 years as the show’s longest-serving moderator. Tom Brokaw, former longtime anchor of NBC Nightly News, said in the announcement of Russert’s death that he had been “one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time…[and that NBC’s] news division will [never] be the same without his strong, clear voice.”

Tim Russert may have been most well known for his face, voice and strong opinions which resonated through the world of journalism and politics; yet his impact on the entire nation spanned even farther. The success of his two best-selling books “Big Russ and Me” (2004) and “Wisdom of Our Fathers” (2006), which recount his journey from blue-collar beginnings to world-renown political journalist and analyst, were proof that behind the façade of a powerful and intelligent broadcaster was a man, like any other, who loved and cared greatly for all who touched his life.