New York Times Journalist Blake Hounshell Dead at 44 After 'Battle with Depression' Says Family
Riccardo Savi/Getty
Blake Hounshell, a political journalist who worked for The New York Times, died on Tuesday.
His family confirmed the news in a statement to the publication, adding that his death came "after a long and courageous battle with depression."
A police official told The Times that authorities suspected he died by suicide.
In a memo to employees, Joseph Kahn, The Times' executive editor and Carolyn Ryan, the newspapers' managing editor, said, "We are deeply saddened to share the tragic news that our colleague Blake Hounshell has passed away," according to Fox News Digital.
The letter continued and saluted Hounshell's efforts after he began working at The Times in 2021.
RELATED: John Mayer Says 'Grief Is a Journey' as He Remembers Friend Bob Saget 1 Year After He Died
"Many of us worked closely alongside Blake since he joined The Times in 2021," it read. "Blake was a dedicated journalist who quickly distinguished himself as our lead politics newsletter writer and a gifted observer of our country's political scene. He became an indispensable and always insightful voice in the report during a busy election cycle."
Kahn and Ryan continued, "Blake was devoted to his family and a friend of many on our politics and Washington teams, who have worked alongside him for many years. We will be in touch with more information on how to support his family soon."
Hounshell, who lived in northwest Washington, leaves behind his wife Sandy Choi and children David and Astrid, per The Times.
Politicians and peers reacted to Hounshell's death on social media.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman recalled, "Blake Hounshell was a fellow stroke survivor, and one of the first interviews I did when I returned to the campaign trail and struggled to find my words."
"He showed compassion and humanity in a way few others had," Fetterman said. "This is heartbreaking."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, remembered Hounshell as a "friend, partner, and journalistic inspiration for many years through our time together at Foreign Policy and Politico," adding, "I will have more to say but for now I just want to say how much I will miss him. RIP, dear friend."
New York Times writer Liam Stack shared a screenshot of Kahn's memo and said he was "shocked and so sad" about Hounshell's death.
"I met him in Cairo when I was 22, on the day I got my very first newspaper job," Stack recalled. "I was excited when he joined The Times and wish I'd spent more time hanging out with him here."
RELATED VIDEO: Adam Rich, Star of 'Eight Is Enough', Dead at 54
While at The Times, Hounshell ran the popular "On Politics" newsletter. Before joining the publication, he worked at Politico for eight years and served as the digital editorial director, managing editor for Washington and political news, along with the managing editor and editor-in-chief of Politico's website that he developed, according to The Times.
After writing blogs for 15 years, he got his big break as the managing editor of Foreign Policy, where he worked from 2009 to 2013. During his tenure, the magazine garnered three National Magazine Awards, The Times noted.
Hounshell, a Delaware and Pittsburgh native, earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Yale in 2002, and later learned Arabic while in Cairo, The Times said.
Politico paid tribute to Hounshell, calling him "a witty and astute political observer who possessed a special knack for understanding the dynamics of internet journalism and became one of the driving forces behind POLITICO's success over nearly a decade."
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
