NBC’s Russert dies at age 58

The well-know ‘Meet the Press’ moderator died suddenly Friday afternoon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Russert, who pointedly but politely questioned hundreds of the powerful and influential as moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” died suddenly Friday while preparing for his weekly broadcast. The network’s Washington bureau chief was 58.

In addition to his weekly program, Russert appeared on the network’s other news shows, was moderator for numerous political debates and wrote two best-selling books.

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 hard-working 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.”

NBC interrupted its regular programming with news of Russert’s death and continued for several hours of coverage without commercial break. The network announced that Tom Brokaw will anchor a special edition of “Meet the Press” on Sunday, dedicated to Russert.

Competitors and friends jumped in with superlative praise and sad recognition of the loss of a key voice during a historic presidential election year. Personally, Russert was a family man and a father figure to his colleagues. Parenting organizations several times had named him Father of the Year.

Familiar faces such as Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams took turns mourning his loss.

“Our hearts are broken,” said Mitchell, who appeared emotional at times as she recalled her longtime colleague.

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 initially said on its Web site that Russert died of a heart attack. 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, of Buffalo, N.Y., took the helm of the Sunday news show in December 1991 and turned it into the nation’s most widely watched program of its type. His signature trait there was an unrelenting style of questioning that made some politicians reluctant to appear, yet confident that they could claim extra credibility if they survived his grilling intact.

He was also a senior vice president at NBC, and this year, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Russert had Buffalo’s blue-collar roots, a Jesuit education, a law degree and a Democratic pedigree that came from his turn as an aide to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

One of his books, “Big Russ and Me,” was about his relationship with his father.

On Sunday’s program, Russert was to have interviewed Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a national co-chairman of the McCain campaign, and Joe Biden, D-Del., an Obama supporter, in a debate format as surrogates for the two presidential candidates.