With his plainspoken, unpretentious style, Tim Russert transformed the landscape of broadcast news. Audiences outside Washington relied on his unparalleled insights into the Capitol scene, while Beltway insiders hailed his program as the most important hour on television. As moderator of Meet the Press, Russert interviewed every major figure on the American political scene. Week after week, he struck a delicate balance, paying due respect to his powerful guests while pressing them to answer the tough questions. Russert broke through Capitol Hill jargon to let his audience know how the issues of the day actually affected them. Critics hailed him as America's best interviewer; his colleagues called him the most influential journalist in Washington. In his best-selling memoir, Big Russ and Me, Russert entertainingly chronicled the lessons and values he learned from his blue-collar father in South Buffalo, New York. As a young attorney, Tim Russert learned the workings of government firsthand, as a Special Counsel to the United States Senate, and a trusted aide to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Formerly the Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News, Russert took the helm of Meet the Press at the end of 1991. During his reign as host, it became the most watched of the political interview programs, and the most quoted news program in the world. Tim Russert's sudden death in June 2008 shocked the news world and his audience. He was 58 years old. Russert leaves behind a son, Luke and wife Maureen Orth of 25 years.