Internet Journalist/Activist Andrew Breitbart, R.I.P.

In casually scanning a news website first thing this morning, we saw the report of Andrew Breitbart's passing.

At first we thought it was a gag or a hoax but sadly other websites had confirmation of this stunning, unbelievable news.

Breitbart was the remarkable Internet impresario who created "the bigs"--i.e., BigHollywood.com, BigGovernment.com, and BigPeace.com--and who helped launch the Drudge Report and the Huffington Post.

Commenter "righthearted" posted this on NationalReview.com and sums it up well:

I don't have a clue who can or will attempt to replace Andrew Breitbart...and it's probably way too soon to even think about such things...but at the end of this sad day in which we all recognize his passing and pay our much deserved respects for this hero, I do hope and pray that somebody of wisdom and boundless courage will at least take up his mantle and begin to try to do so. Indispensable is a great word for Andrew and his work...it speaks of the great and urgent need we have for men and women of his stature to keep the movement going forward. RIP, Andrew...We'll all be praying for your family and friends in their great loss today. Thank you for all you did for all of us.

Tributes to Breitbart are ongoing.

Earlier today, National Review's Jonah Goldberg and The Five's Greg Gutfeld reacted to the breaking news on FNC:


 
Added: Commenter "BurkeanBadger" posted these thoughts at LegalInsurrection:

...More than any other prominent conservative journalist/pundit/blogger, Andrew deeply understood the left. He understood the will to power which underlies left-leaning ideologies from orthodox Marxism-Leninism to mild mannered welfare-liberalism. He understood the utopian obsession, the elitism, the echo-chamber style of discourse (almost completely ignorant of the political/social opinions of the broader society…and proud of that ignorance) which are omnipresent in most leftist circles. Most importantly, he understood that the left will use any means to achieve its ends.

But that’s not all: He was also fearless. He successfully used leftist tactics against the left, and he did so mercilessly, masterfully, and without hesitation...

And the London Telegraph's James Delingpole had this to say:

I keep going back to @andrewbreitbart's Twitter feed, still unable to believe that one of my conservative heroes has dropped down dead at the age of just 43. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised: Breitbart did enjoy a voraciously Type A lifestyle – smoking, drinking and burger-scoffing like there was no tomorrow. Which, sadly, for this big-hearted, generous, witty, rumbustious, intelligent, fearless father-of-four there now isn't. Like PJ O'Rourke, Breitbart was one of those rare types who manages to make conservatism look both fun and cool..