It was related to an acute -- presumably acute dissection , rupturing plaque that 's causing a blockage of a coronary artery . He had a heart attack -- a fatal arrhythmia . Watch panel discuss if Russert 's death was preventable '' King : Did we know he had heart disease ? Newman : Tim was known to have coronary artery disease , and it was being treated with respect to management of his risk factors . King : Was he on medication ? Did he exercise ? Did he watch what he ate ? Newman : Tim was on medication . I 'd like to say , I 'm glad you mentioned exercise and watching what we eat . The foundation of management of heart disease and every medical condition , really , starts with lifestyle modification . You know , a healthy lifestyle , and you 'll have good health , and you 'll certainly have a healthy heart . ... Tim appreciated that . Yes , he exercised . He was on his Aerodyne bicycle . See a timeline of Russert 's career '' King : Dr. Oz , from what Dr. Newman said , could
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tim Russert 's personal physician says medics tried to save the NBC anchor shortly after he collapsed at work . Dr. Michael Newman said medics tried to revive Tim Russert several times before he died . Dr. Michael Newman told CNN 's Larry King that a defibrillator , a heart-shocking device , was used to try to save Russert . `` A resuscitation was begun almost immediately , '' he said . Russert , a mainstay of television journalism 's political talk as the host of `` Meet the Press , '' died of a heart attack after collapsing at NBC 's Washington bureau Friday . He was 58 . Newman appeared on `` Larry King Live '' on Monday , along with Dr. Mehmet Oz , a cardiac thoracic surgeon , and Dr. P.K. Shah , King 's heart doctor . Watch Russert 's son greet guests at wake '' Newman described Russert as a model patient : `` He complied with almost everything that was asked of him . '' The following is an edited version of the show 's transcript : Newman : Tim had a cardiac arrest .