Conservative writer, publisher, commentator and blogger Andrew Breitbart was shockingly found dead at the age of 43 earlier this morning.
As a former commentator for The Washington Times, Bretibart served on occasion as a political pundit for various news programs, while also acting as a one-time editor for the Drudge Report.
STORY: Andrew Breitbart Dead At 43
In his early days as a newsman, Breitbart was a researcher for Arianna Huffington and helped launch her popular website, The Huffington Post.
Going off on his own, Breitbart created a media empire running his own news aggregation sites, Breitbart.com, Breitbart.tv, Big Hollywood, Big Government, Big Journalism, and Big Peace.
Breitbart was known for his watch-dog tactics and ferocious tenacity. One of the biggest stories Breitbart broke was the Anthony Weiner sex scandal in 2011, when he posted sexually explicit Twitter photos featuring the New York Rep on his BigJournalism website.
Weiner first denied that he had sent the photograph to a 21-year-old female college student, but after questions developed, he admitted to inappropriate online relationships.
In June of 2011, Breitbart reported other photos Weiner had sent, including one that was sexually graphic. After the onslaught of pressure, Weiner eventually resigned from office.
Breitbart also broke the resignation of Shirley Sherrod in July of 2010, when he posted two short videos showing excerpts of a speech by Sherrod at an NAACP fundraising dinner in March 2010 taken out of context.
As a result of the video, Sherrod was fired from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Breitbart became a wanted man after it was revealed that Sherrod’s words were taken out of context and he manipulated the video to make it seem Sherrod was saying something she wasn’t.
The video excerpts aired by Breitbart were deliberately deceptive and in 2011, Sherrod brought suit against Breitbart for defamation.
Through the good and the bad, Breitbart was seen as a pit bull by the conservative movement and his sudden death comes as a shock to the media world.
The adopted son of a restaurant owner and banker, Breitbart grew up in a family with secular liberal views in upscale Brentwood, Los Angeles.
As he grew older, his views changed and he started describing himself as “a Reagan conservative” with libertarian sympathies.
Bretibart is survived by his wife Susannah Bean and their four children.
