Michael Hastings, journalist and most recently a Buzzfeed employee, was killed yesterday in a Los Angeles car crash.
He was 33-years-old.
Hastings was best known for his 2010 Rolling Stone article, “Runaway General,” that focused on Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former head of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, and his critique on how President Obama and his administration were conducting the war.
McChrystal resigned shortly after the story was published.
Hastings also wrote two books – The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, which was based on his time with McChrystal and military leaders in Afghanistan, and I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story, the story of how his then-fiancee was killed by a car bombing while serving as an aide worker in Iraq.
Buzzfeed’s Editor-in-Chief, Ben Smith, released a statement regarding their loss.
“We are shocked and devastated by the news that Michael Hastings is gone. Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story, and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered from wars to politicians.”
He is survived by his wife, Elise.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.
Click here to read Buzzfeed’s emotional tribute to their lost brother.
