Irreplaceable, Trusted, Down-to-Earth

These are just some of the words used to describe Tim Russert. Russert, who died suddenly on Friday of a clot that ruptured in his artery, was one of the most beloved people in broadcasting. I didn't know him and hardly ever watched Meet The Press, the show he helmed for 17 years, yet I'm so sad now that he won't be on the air any longer. He was just a fixture to me, someone I took for granted, someone I always thought would be there when I felt like watching him. And now he's gone and I'll never get that opportunity again.

He leaves behind not only a wife but a 22 year old son that he loved above all things. I know this as a fact because he was always talking about his son to anyone who would listen. This makes me the saddest of all because his son was almost the same age as my son and had just graduated from college. They had all been in Europe together celebrating and he had come home early to go to work. Work was something he loved; something he was good at; something he was devoted to. It was almost fitting that he died while "on the job."

There is no one, who has spoken publicly about his death, who has been able to speak of him without tears in their eyes. It's just so heartbreaking to see. He has been called the preeminent political journalist of our time, so it almost comes as a national tragedy that he won't be here to witness this upcoming election. During an interview, he said he liked to stick to the facts, "like Joe Friday on Dragnet." He was always considerate of the person he was interviewing yet always seemed to ask the questions we the audience wanted answered. There was nothing better than having Russert ask a question and not getting the answer he wanted and then playing a tape of his guest saying something completely different a few years prior. If you weren't going to tell the truth, you might as well just not go on his show because he would catch you every time.

I think I really started to notice who he was when he authored the book dedicated to his father called, "Big Russ and Me." Since I'm such a huge reader, it was definitely something that caught my attention. That was when I saw a different side to Tim Russert. He was no long Tim Russert the journalist, he then became Tim Russert, the son. When I heard about his passing, all I could think of was how sad his father would be and how he probably wouldn't want to go on living without Tim in his life. There can be nothing worse than outliving your own child. I know he's in his eighties now and just a few weeks ago, Russert had moved him into another adult facility. I also heard his son say on The Today Show that his grandfather had also lost his son-in-law in the past few months and he was like another son to him. So it's definitely been an unbelievably sad time for this elderly man.

What makes this even sadder is that he died two days before Father's Day. If I thought my Father's Days were sad, I can only imagine how sad his son's will be since the date of his death will always fall right around this day. And when Tim ended his show each year on Father's Day, he always said, "Happy Father's Day Russ and to Luke, I'm proud to be your father." Sadly enough, he didn't get to say those words on the air this past Sunday as his seat was empty. His son was in the studio on Sunday witnessing the empty chair which he will now keep for himself.

He once referred to his show "Meet The Press" as a national treasure. I have news for him. He was the national treasure, not the show. Irreplaceable is surely the right word to describe him as no one will be able to fill his shoes on his show or in his life. As he would always say, "Go get em, Brother." Those are the words he'll most be remembered for and I hope he's doing just that right now.