Andrew Breitbart, one of the media’s most outspoken critics and political crusaders, has died at the age of 43.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office confirmed the death occurred after midnight Thursday morning, but would not provide information on how it occurred. According to his website, Breitbart “passed away unexpectedly from natural causes.”
The conservative blogger got his start in media as a henchman for Matt Drudge, before creating a slew of his own websites including Breitbart.com and BigGovernment.com. He often attacked what he called a “liberal bias” in mainstream media, sometimes with misleading video and media of his own.
Often searching out and stirring controversy, Breitbart’s was integral in forcing the resignations of Shirley Sherrod and Anthony Weiner, as well as hosting James O’Keefe’s ACORN expose on his BigJournalism website.
Breitbart had a packed travel schedule and had a high-strung personality that often led to confrontation. Conservative bloggers called him a mentor to citizen journalists who “loved the fight.”
