Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic reports that Terence Tolbert, Barack Obama's state director for Nevada, has passed away of a sudden heart attack at the age of 44.
[tip o' the nib to Scarce for the photo]
Tolbert was a top official in the NYC Department of Education, who had taken a leave of absence to campaign for Obama.
In a statement, Obama said:
"Terence was a strong force in this campaign, with a positive outlook that brought people together. He was much loved by his team, who often repeated his motto of 'leave no stone unturned.' His enthusiasm, talent, and warm heart will truly be missed. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Obama-Biden family are with his wife and loved ones,”
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg also issued a statement:
“Last night, Terence Tolbert, who was a valued member of our Administration and had become a personal friend of mine, had a massive heart attack in Nevada where he was working on Senator Obama’s campaign. Terence was not only somebody who was one of the most likeable people in the world, he was one of the most hardworking people in the world. He had great judgment and a great feel for people, and this really is a great tragedy. Our Administration will miss him, the City will miss him, the country will miss him, and all of our prayers go out to his wife Freida and his mother Carolyn. We’ll announce the funeral arrangements when they’re made, but this really is a tragedy and it puts things in perspective. One of the nice things about November 4th was going to be that Terence would come back to us. Now, sadly, he is never going to come back – but we will never forget him.”
Tolbert is survived by his wife, Freida, and his mother, Carolyn.
Now, let's work hard and bring Nevada home for Terence and Barack!
[UPDATE: Thanks for the Rec List, gang -- only wish it wasn't such a downer of a topic...]
[UPDATE #2: Please see won't get fooled again's excellent diary here -- I think the search feature needs some work after the election as I didn't see it, honest...h/t to PatsBard for alerting me to it.]