Tim Russert, the host of the “Meet the Press” talk show on NBC died yesterday supposedly of heart failure as he was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of the show. He was 58.

Tim Russert had become one of the most important TV figures, and his interviews with numerous politicians were regarded as a true test for them. There are people who consider that some elections were won or lost based on the way the candidates coped with Russert’s tough questions.

Tim Russert was born in a poor family, his mother being a homemaker and his father a World War II veteran that had to hold on to two jobs in order to provide for his family. Russert graduated from High school and went on to receive his BA diploma from John Carroll University and then his Juris Doctor from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

He started his career by working for NY Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan during his Senatorial campaign in 1976. He was hired by NBC as an executive in 1984 and his job was to revive the news division of the TV network. In 1988 he moved to Washington to become NBC’s senior vice president.

It was here in 1991 that he first hosted “Meet the Press”, a show that was older than him. His polite manners and his fierce questions have the show he hosted one of the most important talk shows in America. One of Russert’s trademarks was to ask his interviewees a question and then show that the answer contradicts what the same person stated in a former interview.

In 2005, he was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Reagan.  He is the recipient of the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement

This year, the Time magazine put his name in a list of the 100 most influential persons on the planet.

His two books,“Big Russ and Me” in 2004 and “Wisdom of Our Fathers” in 2006, were both New York Times #1 bestsellers.