Mr. Russert's son, Luke, had recently graduated from Boston College, and the family traveled to Italy to celebrate, an event Mr. Russert described as one of the highlights of his life.
"The death of Tim Russert leaves political journalism without its center of gravity," said Rich Hanley, professor of journalism and politics at Quinnipiac University. "In an age where shouting and assertions trump discourse and validation, Russert was the adult in the room who kept the focus on the story, on the things that mattered to Americans. The profession is greatly diminished by his sudden passing."
His on-air analysis May 6, the night of the Indiana primary, was typical of the influence Mr. Russert came to wield in national politics. With only partial results in hand, Mr. Russert correctly characterized Sen. Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The consensus among Washington analysts is that Mr. Russert's words took the wind out of Hillary Clinton's campaign in the same way that Walter Cronkite's 1968 denunciation of the Vietnam War was seen by President Lyndon B. Johnson to have shifted popular opinion against the war.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle praised the brand of journalism practiced by Mr. Russert.
"Tim Russert was a gentleman and giant, not just in politics and journalism, but in life," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said. "And through that life, he gave us all a model worth emulating. With a reasoned voice, a sharp mind and a fair hand, Tim took the measure of every Washington official and all those that sought to be one."
Mr. Obama said yesterday: "There wasn't a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics, and he was also one of the finest men I knew. Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family."
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, said: "Tim Russert was at the top of his profession. He was a man of honesty and integrity. He was hard, but he was always fair."
Mr. Russert's reach extended through much of popular culture. A mention of a book on Meet the Press or his MSNBC show could send it soaring in the sales rankings. And he was always there to help those colleagues he respected.
Former Sun political reporter and columnist Jack Germond recalled yesterday how Mr. Russert helped put him back on the map of TV political coverage after he left The Mc Laughlin Group in the late 1990s.
