shipperx | Tim Russert Died

I'm shocked and saddened.

From Huffington Post:

Russert suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed Friday afternoon in NBC's Washington bureau.

Russert was in the tracking booth, recording a track, when he collapsed. He returned from Italy Thursday night. His wife, Maureen Orth, and son Luke, are still in Italy.

TVNewser reminds us that "Around 1pmET this afternoon, Russert was conducting a political Q&A on MSNBC.com."

TMZ reports:

DC Fire tells us the call came in at 1:41 PM ET. We're told they transported one adult male patient in cardiac arrest to Sibley Hospital where he died.

NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker:

We are heartbroken at the sudden passing of Tim Russert. We have lost a beloved member of our NBC Universal family and the news world has lost one of its finest. The enormity of this loss cannot be overstated. More than a journalist, Tim was a remarkable family man. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Maureen, their son, Luke, and Tim's entire extended family.

NBC News President Steve Capus:

This is a loss for the entire nation. Everyone at NBC News is in shock and absolutely devastated. He was our respected colleague, mentor, and dear friend. Words can not express our heartbreak. Our thoughts and prayers are with Maureen, Luke, Big Russ and all of Tim's family.

Doris Kearns Goodwin:

"I feel so bad," she said. "He was such a good friend."

"Somebody just called from the television studio and said have you heard the horrible news about Tim and I thought he must have been in a plane crash. That he had a heart attack and just died. It's incomprehensible.

"He's a giant and he's the best," she said. "I loved him."

Andrew Sullivan:

It's a shocking piece of news. There were limits to the Russert style of gotcha-interviewing. But he took political accountability to new levels in journalism, and always treated his subjects fairly. He was also extremely kind and courteous in my own interactions with him. Say a prayer for his family, if prayer is your thing. Especially his dad, for whom this coming Sunday may be extremely painful.