Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43

Andrew Breitbart, conservative media activist, passed away early Thursday of natural causes at the age of 43. His father-in-law, actor Orson Bean, reported that Breitbart collapsed suddenly as he was walking near his home on Wednesday night. A friend the family stated that he was no stranger to heart problems, and their best guess at the current time is that the conservative activist suffered a heart attack.

Andrew was perhaps best known for both bringing down ACORN (a group that offered housing assistance and other aid to the poor), and being the instigator that ultimately caused New York U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner to resign.

Breitbart once said, “I do what I do because the mainstream media chooses not to do it.” And he did. His undercover videos of ACORN (also known as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) giving tax advice to individuals dressed in costume as a pimp and hoe eventually led to the group’s dispersal. He was also the first one to bring attention to a racy photo of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, ultimately causing him to resign (not the first time he caused this to happen).

All of Andrew Breitbart’s friends, though, had thoughts and memories of him as a person, outside of the world of politics. Matt Drudge (founder of the Drudge Report), said of Brietbart, “[he was] a constant source of energy, passion and commitment.”

A memorial page on one of his websites, breitbart.tv, says the following, “We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior. Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love.”