NBC's Tim Russert Dead at 58

[Breukelen advocaat]

NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58 - U.S. news - MSNBC.com

Breukelen advocaat Reviewed by Breukelen advocaat on 06-13-2008. NBC's Tim Russert Dead at 58 NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58 - U.S. news - MSNBC.com Rating: 5

[NaughtyDreadz]

one of the few pundits that I didnt mind

WHY COULDNT IT BE CHRIS MATTHEWS??????

[dragonrider]

I liked Tim. I think he went a little far with some of his "gotcha" questions, and it wasn't always fair, but he didn't let people off the hook easily.

[Sir Bliss]

Wow..this is shocking. I liked this guy. I can't believe he's gone...

[birdgirl73]

I respected Tim Russert a lot and always religiously recorded "Meet The Press" while I watched the ABC version, "This Week With George Stephanopoulos." Then I'd get more coffee and watch the NBC show after I finished watching ABC. He was an amazing interviewer and not afraid to ask the tough stuff. I agree with you, DragonRider, that he sometimes went a bit overboard with his "gotcha!" approach, but he was passionate about the work he did and clearly cared a lot about getting to the bottom-line truth, so I was always willing to overlook the vehemence. The age 58 is far too young to die, and silent heart disease is nasty about creeping up behind people in the prime of their lives and snatching them away too soon.

[painretreat]

All men should be checked and start watching their heart before 58! That is the age so many go that are just begining to think, well, I am middle aged! So, if you are getting close, start checking yourself. That age is the magic number!

I loved that guy. Did not like it when he pinned the person I liked down, but seemed like he tried to fair to each. Was just shocked when I heard! Listened to him religiously after watching George, but was not exactly as focused on one thing! He made me think! And that was a good thing! Will miss him. Really, feel for his family. That is a shock. Seems like he was really at his prime!

The news broke; "Tim Russert, Dead at 58!" Just seems like that was a little crude, if I were even extended family of his, that would put me in shock!

[Breukelen advocaat]

Tim Russert's doctor said he had a heart condition connected to his weight and lack of physical activity, so he started exercising a couple of months ago and lost 10 lbs.

I was surprised to read that his father is alive.

[birdgirl73]

Yeah, Big Russ, his dad, is somewhere near 90, they were saying on TV. Tim had just gotten through moving him to a new care facility with the last couple of weeks. I'm assuming his mother has passed on and wonder if perhaps she were the one who might have had coronary artery disease genetics.

Dr. Dave always maintained that Tim was likely a sitting duck for a heart attack just by looking at him. Morbid as it is, that's a sort of standard cardiologist's hobby--guessing health risk by evaluating lifestyle, physique and behavior. Tim Russert had the build of someone at higher than average risk for heart disease, but of course we didn't know his blood lipid levels and couldn't guess at them till today, which indicated he must have had some arteriosclerosis. Then he carried some extra weight and was sedentary. He probably had genetic propensity and elevated blood pressure. They say he was a notoriously driven, hard-working, type A sort of journalist, too, so that fits with the profile, too. We have just gotten finished with a longer-than-average primary season so he had no doubt been stressed with covering it all. Frankly, if the interminable Hillary pursuit had kept up much longer, I think a lot more of us might have had cardiac arrest!

What we were still wondering was about the actual cause. There've been conflicting reports, and the term "heart attack" is a medically vague one, just like "nervous breakdown." Have you read in any reliable sources or detail, BA, whether he had an infarction, meaning heart damage from blockage from arteriosclerosis, or cardiac arrest, meaning heart stoppage as a result of some type of disease or rhythm process? Others, please forgive the seeming morbidity of these questions and understand that these are the standard things that people with medical leanings always ask.

I'm not someone who's superstitious or buys into the afterlife, but it does please me to imagine that he's somewhere, happy and busy and reconnecting with people like John Chancellor, Peter Jennings, Ed Bradley, and David Brinkley, to name just a few of the broadcasting greats who've gone before him.

[Breukelen advocaat]

I'd be interested in knowing the cause of the attack, but so far I haven't been able to come up with anything.

My father also died from a heart attack at about 58, before his father (my grandfather).

[Breukelen advocaat]

I also heard that Russert was diabetic, and I tried a google search. All I've found so far is the following quote (re Russert): "A recent issue of Diabetes Forecast had a cover story about him, in which he discussed how he neglected to take care of his diabetes and planned to do so in the future."