DAMN!:

NBC's David Bloom Dies Covering Iraq War (The Associated Press, April 6, 2003)

NBC News correspondent David Bloom, who has been reporting on the war from the Iraqi desert, collapsed Sunday and died from a blood clot, the network said.

The 39-year-old anchor of the weekend "Today" show was traveling with troops about 25 miles south of Baghdad when he suddenly collapsed, said Allison Gollust, a spokeswoman for NBC News.

He was airlifted to a nearby field medical unit, where he was pronounced dead from a pulmonary embolism, Gollust said. She said his death was not combat related.

Bloom lived in the New York area with his wife, Melanie, and three daughters. He had been on assignment in Iraq for several weeks, reporting from the middle of desert sand storms and while columns of military vehicles rumbled toward Baghdad.

He was a terrific reporter and frequent guest on Imus in the Morning, where he was always a good sport.
Posted by Orrin Judd at April 6, 2003 2:39 PM