Tim Russert (1950-2008)

It's always tough to read about people dying.

As one who flirted with a broadcasting career back in the day, it's always sad to read stories like this.

Russert, 58, was by all accounts a fair, honest and hard-nosed journalist. Even those he interviewed who disagreed with his politics would have agreed with that statement.

Aside from having a great first name, Russert was also a Red Sox fan.

Clarke, 90 & Minghella, 54 die

Sci-Fi author Arthur C. Clarke, 90, (photo from 9/2005) died today (actually March 19^th local time in Sri Lanka where he lived), as did movie director Anthony Minghella, 54, shown here in 1997.

Notable celebrity deaths so far in 2008

Recently, American Guy left this on his blog at the end of 2007. In the comments section, I morbidly wondered who the first notable celebrity deaths would be in 2008. Now we know:

Heath Ledger, 28, died today of a possible drug overdose in Manhattan, New York. The official cause of death is yet to be determined. Most notably Ledger starred in "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson in 2000 and "Brokeback Mountain" with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2005. Ledger was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a gay cowboy in this film. His first break in the US came in 1999, for "10 Things I Hate About You" with Julia Stiles. His profile page from imdb.com.

Suzanne Pleshette, 70, died on the 19^th of respiratory failure in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her role as Bob Newhart's wife on the 1970's television show "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-1977). She also appeared in many other television shows throughout her career. Her profile from imdb.com.




Brad Renfro, 25, died on the 15^th in Los Angeles, California. The official cause of death has not been released. His best known role was in "The Client" in 1994 with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. He also starred in "Ghost World" in 2001 with Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi. His profile from imdb.com.




As AG rightfully noted, I missed this one:
Sir Edmund Hillary, 88, died on the 11^th in Auckland, New Zealand of heart failure. Hillary, along with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, was known for being the first successful climber of Mt. Everest in 1953. Hillary also did a lot of philanthropic work in Nepal, founding the Himalayan Trust sometime in 1960-61.







The most disturbing thing about these deaths is that two of the actors were under the age of 30. Tragic. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I find it incredibly sad when anyone presently younger than I am dies.