Tim Russert, the South Buffalo native who became the influential host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died unexpectedly Friday morning. Russert, 58, collapsed while taping voice-overs for his weekly "Meet the Press" show at NBC's Washington, D.C. studios. No other details were immediately available.
Born Timothy John Russert Jr. in South Buffalo, he graduated from Canisius High School, John Carroll University and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Russert was a member of the bar associations in both New York state and the District of Columbia.
After graduating from Cleveland-Marshall, Russert entered the world of politics, first on the Senate staff of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan and in 1982, he worked on Mario Cuomo's successful campaign to be elected New York governor.
Russert joined NBC News in 1984 and the following year supervised the Peacock network's live broadcasts of the "NBC Today" show from Rome. Russert during those shows was able to convince Pope John Paul II to make an appearance on the show.
In December 1991, he was named host of "Meet the Press."
Russert wrote two books "Big Russ and Me" in 2004 that detailed the role his father, Tim Russert Sr., played in his life and "Wisdom of Our Fathers" in 2006.
In addition, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and this year Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Russert is survived by Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and a son, Luke.
Funeral details have yet to be determined.
"Tim Russert's passion for politics and government was only transcended by his passion for Buffalo," said Rep. Brian Higgins, who represents South Buffalo. "He was a kid from the neighborhood who never forgot his roots and continually made us proud. His unique commentary and style was unmatched and is irreplaceable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Russert family at this difficult time."
We will miss you, Tim.
Post edited at 2:38 pm on June 13, 2008 by iamironman
-------
Free Speech was posted there ^
There is no such thing as a puzzle. Just a not solved yet.
Pray for Ian
629 users online 
174689 members 
You have 1 new message.
Sustainer
