Washingtonian magazine once dubbed Russert the best journalist in town, and described "Meet the Press" as "the most interesting and important hour on television.
He also wrote best-selling books, "Big Russ and Me," in 2004, and "Wisdom of our Fathers," in 2006.
This year, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Russert also was a senior vice president at NBC.