Eric Boehlert obit

Eric Boehlert, Celebrated Journalist and Founder of Press Run Media, Dead at 57 in Bike Accident

Soledad O'Brien, Hillary Clinton, Jon Stewart and others honored Boehlert on social media upon learning of his death this week

 

He was not on the list.

Eric Boehlert, celebrated journalist who founded Press Run Media, has died. He was 57.

Fellow journalist Soledad O'Brien confirmed Wednesday that Boehlert died in a bike accident.

"He was an amazing guy. I can't believe it," O'Brien, 55, tells PEOPLE. Adding that Boehlert initially reached out to her to look at Press Run ahead of its launch, saying, "I thought it was genius" and going on to call it a "very viable and successful" site that championed truthful and unbiased media.

"He was a smart, thoughtful, interesting guy," the TV journalist continues.

On Wednesday morning, O'Brien tweeted, "Just got crushing news from Tracy Breslin, wife of @EricBoehlert Has died in a bike accident, age 57."

"He fought to rescue journalism and democracy, which need saving. Worked at Rolling Stone, Billboard, founded Media Matters and Salon, Pressrun on Substack," she wrote in a subsequent tweet. "Brutal to bad media on twitter, sweetest guy in real life".

Boehlert was killed on Monday night when he was struck by a New Jersey Transit commuter train in Montclair, NJ, according to the website northjersey.com.

In addition to being a frequent commentator on politics and the media on CNN and CNBC, Boehlert was a founding editor of Salon, a fellow with Media Matters, and had written for Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines, among others. 

Both Salon and Media Matters released statements on Boehlert's death, with Salon writing, "His passing is a huge loss to media criticism and progressive journalism."

Boehlert also wrote two books, Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush, published in 2006, and Bloggers on the Bus, from 2009.

Hillary Clinton tweeted about Boehlert's death, writing on Wednesday, "@EricBoehlert's death is terrible news. I'm devastated for his family and friends and will miss his critical work to counteract misinformation and media bias. What a loss."

Boehlert was a longtime resident of Montclair, and was married to wife Breslin for 29 years, northjersey.com reports.

He is survived by his wife and two children, daughter Jane, 24, and son Ben, 21.