People shouldn't die at 58. People shouldn't die at work.

[Taverner]

Fuckall, that's rough. This morning Journalist Tim Russert said goodbye to his family, packed up his laptop and drove to work. That's the last they saw of him. That's no way to go.

Sudden heart attack - even scarier. He had no idea he was going to go today, no chance to make peace...just one minute you're a living breathing organism, the next moment you aren't.

[NightWatcher]

1. no one ever said on their deathbed, "I wish I spent more time at the office"

[Faygo Kid]

18. Worth remembering, thank you.

I will keep it in mind this Father's Day weekend. My Dad left when I was little, so I had no relationship with him. But I have always been there for my daughter, and she is now 31. In another state. I wish I could spend this Sunday with her.

[roguevalley]

34. attention, men out there: A lot of men report to their doctors that they

have chest pains and other related pains and they IGNORE IT. it was a news story yesterday. DON'T IGNORE THE DAMNED PAINS! DO YOU HEAR ME!?
Put the macho down and do something smart for a least the people who need and love you.

[Prefer]

2. Who is to say whether that's better

or knowing you're going and counting down the time?

No me. I was just wondering today though.

[devilgrrl]

In America, people live to work. Didn't you know?

Leisure time? That's for Europeans.

[Muttocracy]

3. when I heard Brokaw earlier it sounded like they had a recent famiily vacation to Europe

celebrating his son's college graduation. So at least they got some time together recently. Still devastating though.

[Taverner]

5. That's a little better

Too bad his son will never know him like he knew his father.

[Muttocracy]

14. Just popped in my head - wonder if it was one of those long-flight blood-clot things. nt

[ColbertWatcher]

22. I wonder that too. n/t

[Muttocracy]

19. just heard on MSNBC he came back earlier than the rest to prep for MTP :-(

[PaDUer]

25. He was with his family, then he returned...

family remained in Italy...they had to contact his wife and son before they made the formal announcement..they're on their way home now.

[L0oniX]

4. My co-worker just died last week. He just stopped eating at Burger King...

and was trying to reduce weight. He was 48 yo and was found by his room mate dead on his apartment floor last Thursday. I worked with him for over 6 years and he was a very nice guy.

[Iris]

39. That's sad. And isn't it awful when a co-worker dies and the next day he's just not there?

That's happened to me once or twice in my lifetime. Not a nice thing at all.

[annabanana]

6. People shouldn't pre-decease their fathers...

This is unutterably sad.

[Taverner]

8. No parent should ever have to bury their child

[easttexaslefty]

37. Amen to that

:cry:

[goclark]

7. They just mentioned that he worked so hard all the time

One thing that I have said about all the pundits is.."Do they ever sleep?"

They have the same ones on all the time ~ MJoe,Tweety,Tim, Andrea, Pat B.

Maybe we all need to take a lesson from this ~ sad.

[Taverner]

13. Tweety once gave us some insight as to the life of the pundit

Wherever you are you have to wake up 2 hours before 8am EST. That's when you get your work done.

From 8amEST-8pmPST you are running around like mad, either preparing or doing your show. You talk to your staff and plan out the next several weeks of programming.

At 8pmPST you go to "the spin room" in DC and drink with other pundits.

At some point you sleep. God knows when.

[yardwork]

15. That is no way to live.

[goclark]

24. The job must energize them however

They have a very powerful assignment ~ deciding who will get their attention and who doesn't.

You also learn that they have friends you would not suspect.

They announced that James Carville was a very close friend of Tim's.

I just heard a piece of what Keith or someone was saying about Tim reporting on Ohio on the night of the 2004 election.

Did anyone hear that mentioned?

[Taverner]

32. Other friends you would not suspect

Keith Olbermann and Tony Snow are very good friends as well.

[goclark]

33. They all respect each other

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Right you are, my dear Taverner!

We never know when our lives will end...

Live every day to the fullest!

So so sad...

My condolences to his family, and to all who loved him...

[dailykoff]

10. It does seem odd.

[seabeyond]

11. no chance to make peace... every single second of every day make peace as you live

and yo dont need warning ahead of time before you die. if i were to die this minute all my people are taken care of. the one blessing in my moms death that i saw immediately in the mourning and after was we had said it all... regularly and continously in words and in how we lived. i had nothing hanging.

immeasurable blessing in her death and my loss of her.

something i have given to all and will continue

and as far as where tim died, well hey, he is dead. matters not to him.

rip tim....

[conspirator]

12. But CEOs and their shareholders want to suck your life energy until there isn't any n/t

[Xenocrates]

16. Dead Like Me

Did anyone catch this short run tv series? It really pressed the point that no one gets a choice, and some people get it in the end in a really bad way. Whatdayado?

[Fleshdancer]

17. On the other hand, I'm glad his family didn't witness it

May their hearts be filled with the memory of him smiling and loving life.

[Xenocrates]

20. I'd rather die with my family around, than alone with strangers.

[Fleshdancer]

27. I'm afraid that if I saw my husband die, I would replay the scene in my head over and over

Remembering a loved one in their moment of death would be hard to get past.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

21. A man in my former church died at 98

...and I saw this man in life, and thought "Please, dear God, do not let me live to be 98."

Frank Zappa was 52 when he died. He suffered...a LOT. In interviews he alluded to "things that were done to him" and "things that were stuck up him" in the treatment of his prostate cancer.

John Ritter hit the deck on the set of his TV show when he was 57. He had a heart condition that he wasn't aware of. He felt dizzy, went down, and a couple of hours later he was dead.

My dad died at age 74. He was diagnosed with "multiply myeloma"....bone cancer. By the time this cancer variant is dignosed, you are a dead man walking. His health rapidly deteriorated over the course of a couple of months. The last time I saw him, he didn;t recognize me. He was doped to the motherfucking gills with morphine and thought I was his brother...my uncle.

So I want to die fast and fuck how old I am when I die. If I go TODAY, c'est la fucking VIE.

I've seen to many people suffer.

There is no glory in suffering.

[DinahMoeHum]

23. Russert died doing what he loved. He was at the top of his game.

Can't go any better than that - unless you die in your own home, in your own bed.

:toast:

[AlCzervik]

26. My Mom died when she was 44.

[MissB]

29. I'm sorry.

:(

[AlCzervik]

30. thanks missb, the death, it sucks.

[knitter4democracy]

28. One of our best friends did last year. It's really hard.

He was 35 and had two babies at home. Dead of a heart attack at work.

I can just imagine how hard this is for Russert's friends. It's so sudden and so hard to deal with--a life snuffed out with no warning.

[Critters2]

31. The exact same thing happened to my favorite uncle.

He was a lawyer, a lobbyist for rural progressive groups--the Grange, the Farmers Union, the Rural Electric Co-ops--and he had a heart attack and died in his office one afternoon. That was 20+ years ago. We still miss him.

So, my thoughts and prayers are with Tim Russert's family today. An unexpected death is so hard.

[easttexaslefty]

35. You never know when

it will be the last time you will see someone you love.....His poor family

[Hart2008]

36. Was Dennis due to go on MTP soon?

I can't help but wonder...

[silverojo]

38. That's how it was when my aunt died

Except she didn't go to work; she went online with the PC in her bedroom. She came out to take a nap in our living room, and never woke up. We didn't even have a chance to say goodbye....

[Sequoia]

40. My dad died at work of a stroke.

When we went to his work there was his blue car in the parking lot. It made me very sad all over again. You get up, get dressed for work, and go, not knowing you'll never be home again. Damn, and Father's Day is Sunday. Poor Tim's family. Just sad.