Steve Gilliard passes away.
By on Jun 2nd, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Steve Gilliard passes away.
Progressive blogger Steve Gilliard, editor and publisher of TheNewsBlog, has died at the age of 41. A photo from Steve’s appearance at the 2005 Campus Progress conference:
You can share your thoughts on Steve here.
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This is truly a sad day. Steve’s work was always a worthwhile read and he broadened my horizons, whether the subject was race or military history. I’ve missed his voice during the time of the illness and it makes me truly sad to know I won’t hear it again.
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:32 pmI did not know nor heard of Steve Gilliard. But what is important to know is that he was a “progressive blogger.” That in itself is gold. Since he’s now absent in our badly needed political discourse we, the people, are now more poor for it. Lets keep the memory of Mr. Gilliard alive.
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:34 pmawful–he was so young–a great blogger!
rip
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:41 pmThis is so sad. His was the only blog I ever gave money to. I thought his writing was always gold.
I just wish he could have lived to seen the end of the Bush Era. I’ll lift a glass for him when that day comes.
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:45 pmMay the spirit live onward
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:58 pmMy condolences to the family.
It is not the finite physical self that endears us to one another, but the infinite emotional one.
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:59 pmWas he a Christian? Was it from a heart attack / clogged arteries?
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:02 pm“Was he a Christian? Was it from a heart attack / clogged arteries?”
inconsequential at this point…what matters is that he was a person who contributed to society, some may not have agreed with his views, but he was trying to help in his own way.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:11 pmA great loss. My condolences to his family and friends.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:19 pmI’m about to turn 40, and that’s scaring the shit out of me.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 pmDon’t respond to Jake. He is a piece of sh*t troll.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 pmI never met Gilly but I always felt like I knew him. His blog was one of the first I read in the a.m. and one of the last I read in the p.m.. I’ll miss him terribly. A good, decent man.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 pmYes, Jake is persona non grata — his comments are unnecessary, irrelevant and nasty, not to say stupid. Ignore the jerk.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 pmGilliard’s coverage of Katrina was outstanding.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:34 pmSteve had multiple medical issues as those who followed his blog know.
He had a generous spirit and tried to help other bloggers from his own fund raisers.
Steve called ‘em like he saw them, without artifice. Some attacked him for his forthrightness, his predicitions (which like all, are sometimes wrong), his unvarnished approach. Many saw in that an openness that attracted us.
Steve started his blog from scratch as pretty much a one man show I think; that trajectory grew into a significant enterprise. He will indeed be missed.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:41 pmWas he a Christian? Was it from a heart attack / clogged arteries?
Comment by Jake
Are you an incosiderate jerk? (Yes)
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:43 pmAre you an incosiderate jerk? (Yes)
Comment by Wayne
Jake did the same thing on the Molly Ivans thread, and the Elizabeth Edwards thread. I find it horrific.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:46 pmSteve was an inspiration. His knowledge of history informed us all. RIP steve. You’ve gone much too soon.
Namaste.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:51 pmBye Steve
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:53 pmVery sad. My sympathy to his family; he was much too young.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:43 pmRIP SG. I’ll always remember him with the greatest respect.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:44 pm“Are you an incosiderate jerk? (Yes)
Comment by Wayne
Jake did the same thing on the Molly Ivans thread, and the Elizabeth Edwards thread. I find it horrific.
Comment by Zooey”
Jake doesn’t care. Jake is a Christian; therefore, Jake is exempt.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:48 pmMan, that hurts.
Godspeed, Steve…and thank you.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:53 pmSay hello to Molly when you get there, Steve. Thanks for sharing your voice.
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:00 pmI read his blog everyday.
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:15 pmHis passing is heartbreaking. He was fierce, fiery, on point, so very intelligent and will be so very missed.
What did he die of? Does anyone know his medical history? Dying at 41 sends the chills down my spine. This great man with such great potential was denied even living for 15,000 days.
Life is incredibly short my neighbor who was in good shape just dropped dead of a heart attack while jogging. He didn’t even live for 13,000 days.
Please anyone with information on his death tell us so we can maybe get some insight on how to deal with medical problems like he had.
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:42 pmJohn,
I read (can’t remember where now) that he had a very sudden cardiac event, and when it looked like he was recovering, he acquired some sort of massive infection which took him quite quickly.
Very sad, indeed.
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:00 pmJohn,
Adding to Zooey’s info - I believe he had a heart valve issue back in 2004 which required hospitalization. I am not sure what else, if anything, else transpired between then and now.
My deepest condolences to his family, his friends and the fans of his blog site.
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:22 pmAbout our trolls here:
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:53 pmOne of the problems with the zealous Christians is that their very belief in being saved “by their faith in Jesus” guarantees them a heavenly place in the hereafter that they believe in. So they behave outrageously, they can say hurtful and mean things about others, in other words, they can be very un-christian in thought word and deed — BUT — because they believe that faith alone saves them, they believe that their faith in Jesus as their savior is all that they need.
Now, of course, all Christians don’t limit their beliefs to the extent I just cited, but people like Jake, Michael and Patrick who troll here to say the worst things about their fellow man do fall into the category.
People like Falwell, Robertson, Reed and others actually preach this to their followers - they cultivate hatred and bigotry, greed and malice - but because they profess to believe in Jesus, they think they have eternal salvation.
One of the many reasons why religion is a scourge on humanity.
His voice will be missed. I will miss him, his energy, his take no prisoners bullshit detector. My prayers are with his family and friends. He had a lot of friends who maybe never met him but loved him just the same.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:03 pmhe was too fat
many obese will die between now and august because of heat and humidity.
his health problems were
heart disease
high cholesterol
diabetes
high blood pressure
all the other problems of overweight people.
and millions of americans are just like him
ask yourself this:
As its starts to get hotter and hotter over next few weeks do you hear more and more ambulances going by?
of course.
its overweight people having heart attacks.
trust me i seee it everyday
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:09 pmF*ck off, Docmuller.
I’m pretty sure not a single thing can be done now, so just leave your condolences — if you can muster it up.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 pmaw zooey baby
cant take the truth?
and dont get profane with me my under-educated friend
obesity is a problem of epidemic proportions
how many cheeseburgers and snickers bars have you eaten today?
you should be ashamed
now get to the gym !!
love
Doc
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:18 pmSteve wrote great insightful content on Iraq, particularly his posts on the military issues our troops are confronting in Iraq. He was on my short list of must reads. He’ll be missed.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:20 pm…”you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”…
i can say that, because i don’t know that i’ve ever read him…
but, by the comments here, i have missed out…
“only the good die young”…
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:40 pmDocmuller,
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:10 pmSteve Gilliard passed on from a long term illness. From what I understand, it was from some sort of massive infection, not heart desease. His immune system may have even shut down. Your insensitive ramblings border on cruelity. May God save your soul.
My condolences to his family and to the blogging community.
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:24 pmIn my #36, I forgot to say that Steve’s soul is assured a place in Heaven.
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:31 pmI never read SG, but my condolences to his family.
41 is way too young.
(BTW, Jake-ass is no Christian)
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 pmRIP Steve
We are all Americans and your thoughts though rarely agreed with were always respected.
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:02 pmTP, please clean up this thread.
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:05 pmTP, please clean up this thread.
Comment by WaltTheMan
No Walt, the beauty and sincerety of the condolences shine through the ugliness.
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:17 pmWell no, you’re not any poorer off now that he’s gone. As you explained in your first sentence.
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:30 pmMy condolences to his friends and family. It is a sad day when we lose one more Progressive voice. I will raise a glass to him as well in Jan 2009…
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:34 pmNEOCON = Kilo = Seixon
June 3rd, 2007 at 3:19 amNEOCON = Kilo = Seixon
Comment by troll alert — June 3, 2007 @ 3:19 am
I’m not sure who you think “Seixon” is, but I know that he’s the guy who get’s hat tips at Ace of Spades for stories… while I’m considered a troll there.
You’re actually the last person interested in my previous identity here who doesn’t know what it was, so it’s not like you’re doing anyone a service.
I mean, FFS already, how long is it going to take you to figure this out, even after being given the answer chump ?
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:10 amTalk about retarded.
LMAO. According to google “Seixon” is someone who stopped posting here around a year ago. Sheesh… sore much are we ?
You’ve got a rosy future on the internet kid if random trolls haunt your dreams for years after the fact. LOL.
Here’s some more evidence of how shit you are at your job.
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:33 amOne of these posters has identical writing, punctuation, quoting and highlighting styles to mine and one doesn’t. No doubt you’ll still be too retarded to figure out which though, eh chump.
Steve Gilliard’s passing is quite sad indeed. R.I.P.
I will point out if he were a conservative, a good chunk of commenters here would be celebrating this tragedy.
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:41 amSteve was the first blogger I gave money to. His military posts on WW1 and WW2 were great. His insight on New York politics were terrific. When he wrote about cooking that was great, when he first went to hospital I thought clear up infection back out. It kept getting worse and worse. I feel bad for Jen, who trying to respect his family’s feeling tried to be careful. He was a wonder!! Norma
June 3rd, 2007 at 6:33 amI first visited Steve’s blog after the GOP’s faux outrage over the Michael Steele photoshop incident (he posted a picture of Steele in blackface in response to Steele’s cowardice in refusing to condemn his boss (Bob Ehrlich) for holding a campaign fundraiser at an all-white country club). I’ve been addicted to his blog ever since.
Rest in peace, Steve. I’ll miss you and your blog dearly. Jen, my condolences.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:10 amRESPONSE TO TOLIVER COMMENT No. 50
Tragedy is a classical term designating the destruction of the protagonist by cause of his own failed psyche, or failed character. Pointing out apparent hypocrisy for Progressives mourning the loss of one of their own while cheering the loss of the other is like saying the Palestinians are hypocrites for supporting their fighters and observing their deaths, and praying and hoping for the destruction of their oppressors.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:43 amIn other words your post is full of intellectual crap.
PARDON ME! That was COMMENT No. 48. Apologies to Matt G.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:45 amSteve was an incredible guy and I was lucky enough to have him write for Netslaves.com, a site about tech workers who didn’t get rich during the Web 1.0 boom.
Steve’s words were filled with fire. He had expansive historical knowledge and zero tolerance for bullshit. He wrote fearlessly and prolifically. He was also a very nice guy, athough he and I frequently disagreed about site policy issues.
I am devastated by this news. I am cheered only by the fact that Steve was able to get some of the recognition he deserved during his lifetime.
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 amsomething more befitting
steve gilliard than domuller
seems capable of offering:
and, some of those words
were steve’s — to all of us. . .
be at peace, now, with the entire
universe, steve. . . you earned it!
[with sincere apologies to
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:58 amnorman maclean — and his
angelic work, in ital above. . .]
Condolences to his family and friends. His voice will be missed.
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:08 pmNice way of spinning all the irrational hatred over here Shirley.
Oh, and this is America [not the Levant] my vicious friend, but your comparison seems to be a small window to the bitter souls of many.
It’s amazing how some on the left despise their own countrymen over the jihadists that wish to kill them.
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:27 pmA great blogger! Maryland owes you gratitude for helping us avoid a senator Michael Steele by making us aware of what turned out to be the truth.
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:13 pmHey…someone has died here! Have some decency, dignity and respect.
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:21 pmJohn:
At least no one attacked YOU for asking “What did he die of?” Maybe someone else will clarify what the infection was instead.
June 3rd, 2007 at 6:01 pmJake,
We all know from your everyday behavior that you don’t care. So stop being a ghoul, and be quiet.
June 3rd, 2007 at 6:37 pmFor the record, if I “didn’t care” what Steve died of, I wouldn’t have asked the question.
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:01 pmHmmmm - quite a different and somber tone than when Falwell died:
The world is a slightly better place than it was just a few hours ago. One less pusher of hate and bigotry.
Comment by Not Smug — May 15, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
Joseph Goebbels - Hurray!
Osama - Hurry! (some day)
Falwell - well today is his day… hurray!
Politically Correct BS can just get bent…
Comment by Gerald Gibson Jr — May 15, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Good riddance to the piece of crap. May Robertson, Dobson et al follow him into hell.
Comment by Stephen — May 15, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
It’s always a good thing when Liberals die. Too bad they’re dying at such a slow rate. Good riddence to the fat, black bastard.
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:02 pmi bet it was AIDS, otherwise his cause of death would be being discussed
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:03 pmi’m not really dead. I’m eating my way through five buckets of chicken down at the KFC.
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:06 pmComment by bush4ever — June 3, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
It’s always a good thing when Liberals die. Too bad they’re dying at such a slow rate. Good riddence to the fat, black bastard.
The “fat black bastard” part shows what you and most cons are really about: racism, pure and simple.
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:14 pm“The “fat black bastard†part shows what you and most cons are really about: racism, pure and simple.”
No more or less racist than any of the comments on Falwwell. I know it’s impossible for the Libs to hold themselves to the same standard they hold everyone else to. Dont think for a minute if Michelle Malkin died there wouldnt be “racist” comments here celebrating her death.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:03 pmHorrible trolls used to show up on Steve Gilliard’s newsblog, too — but he would clean up after them. Mop the floor with them, even.
Steve had chronic heart valve disease, which leaves one susceptible to infection localized on the heart valves, known as “infective endocarditis” (IE). When he entered the hospital with flu-like symptoms this past Feb/Mar, it turned out to be IE, which didn’t respond to antibiotics alone and required surgery. Various post-surgical complications ensued. Steve also had kidney disease, which I believe was caused by an earlier bout with infection/antibiotics (probably the earlier heart valve hospitalization in 2004 as noted by Spo_K_Calb).
Steve’s death is a huge loss for me, and I only read him. I feel so bad for his family.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:10 pmSteve’s death is a huge loss for me, and I only read him. I feel so bad for his family.
Comment by maren a
Thank you for that information, maren.
Sorry about the trolls.
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:14 pmthat’s some rather dispicable words there bush4ever…
i’m a liberal with no love for falwell, but i said nothing in those threads… your broad brush ignorance is profound… post #62 is a sad commentary on think progress, and simple honor… show some dignity and class…
June 4th, 2007 at 1:15 amThank you for honoring this fallen progressive blogger. This is still a young community and the loss of just one voice is a loss to our national movement towards regaining citizen control of our government. Steve will be missed, his work will be missed, and we all must carry on fighting the good fight that he was so dedicated to.
I’m quite certain that Jesus, with his liberal philosophy of love and generousity, would not condone the rude, mean, whiney comments of the trolls posting on this thread. This posting is obviously meant as a memorial for one of our own. It takes a cold, dead heart to spint on a good man’s grave. Shame indeed.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:46 amTo paraphrase a good idea from a bad film, I prefer to think of him as battling stupidity in another dimension. His death is a loss, for the online progressive community and for his family and friends. Thanks for your work, Steve.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:50 amIn honor of Steve, I’m posting a link to what I believe was one of his greatest rants- where he called out the GOP tokens Lynn Swann, Michael Steele, and Ken Blackwell after they suffered crushing defeats last November. Enjoy!
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/ 2006/ 11/ you-have-shamed-us.html
June 4th, 2007 at 12:47 pmSteve had multiple medical issues and hospitilizations from way back, long before he was the size he had been recently. I believe he had a bad heart from way back, along with diabetes and other stuff. (Those of you in longterm good health about to turn 40 can relax.) He was a wonderful writer who brought a kind of worldly wisdom that not every progressive possesses. He took time out from writing about political issues and causes to write about everyday things like sports, night life, cooking, New York and techie stuff. He was a real inspiration.
June 4th, 2007 at 3:43 pmI am so sorry to learn this. What a loss for all of us! I have not always been the faithful reader, but every time I dropped by, I found something worth knowing. Thank you, Steve. My thoughts and best wishes are with Jen and his family.
June 4th, 2007 at 4:11 pmtoo many hotdogs will do that to you
June 4th, 2007 at 9:40 pmChris,
Go f*ck yourself.
June 5th, 2007 at 6:19 amWas he a Christian? Or is he now a large spitting grease fire in hell? That much grease could make a good alternative fuel source.
June 7th, 2007 at 12:02 pm