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Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of "Meet the Press," has died after collapsing at NBC's Washington news bureau, a source said. He was 58 years old.
Russert, who rose from the inside world of politics where he was former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's press secretary and one-time chief of staff to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, was able to successfully cross over to political journalism and rise to become one of its leading lights.
In his role as host of the seminal Sunday morning political program "Meet the Press" - which he took over in 1991 - he became renowned for his hard-nosed interviews where he frequently cornered some of Washington's cagiest political figures with tough questions.
I'm shocked, too. He was always good at throwing politicians' past quotes and statements back at them on Meet the Press. If I were a guest, I'd have to do some serious research on everything I've said in the past before going on his show.
On Sunday mornings here in SoCal there were three choices of political shows all airing at the same time....Meet The Press with Tim Russert, This Week With George Stephanopoulos and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. They all used the same format of having people with political bias argue the topics of the day. I generally watched Russert because he was an affable guy and a good moderator. I'll miss him on my Sunday mornings at 8:00 A.M.
(CNN) -- Tim Russert, who became one of America's leading political journalists as the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died Friday, according to the network. He was 58.
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The network said Russert suffered a heart attack while at work and could not be revived. He had just returned from a family vacation in Italy to celebrate the graduation of his son, Luke, from Boston College.
Russert joined the network in 1984 and quickly established himself as the face of the network's political coverage.
In 1985 he supervised live broadcasts of the "Today" show from Rome, negotiating an appearance by Pope John Paul II -- a first for American television.
He took the helm of "Meet the Press" in 1991, turning the long-running Sunday-morning interview program into the most-watched show of its kind in the United States.
Washingtonian Magazine once dubbed Russert the best and most influential journalist in Washington, describing "Meet the Press" as "the most interesting and important hour on television."
In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Tim Russert has passed away
titanium ultraviolet 
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