On MSNBC at 5:40pmET, NBC's Andrea Mitchell read a statement from former NBC News correspondent Maria Shriver, now first lady of the state of California:

Tim Russert was one of my closest friends. He was like a brother to me. He was not only a professional confidant but a personal one. He was always the first person to call me, whenever anything happened with my family. And he always called me just to check in and see how I was doing and to encourage me. My heart goes out to his son Luke, his wife Maureen, his father, his sister and his entire family. They were his joy in life. Family and faith were everything to him. He was one-of-a-kind to me and I was lucky to have him as a best friend.