Breitbart’s website, Big Government, announced the news Thursday morning.

“With a terrible feeling of pain and loss we announce the passing of Andrew Breitbart,” the report reads. “Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles. We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior. Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love.”

Breitbart was 43 years old.

Joel Pollak, editor-in-chief and in-house counsel at Breitbart.com, confirmed the report to Mashable: “Sadly, it is not a hoax.”

According to Cnet, Breitbart was working for E Entertainment Television in 1995, when he emailed Matt Drudge professing his admiration for The Drudge Report. “In the e-mail I said, ‘Are you 50 people? A hundred people? Is there a building?’” Breitbart told CNet in 2005, noting that Drudge ran the site by himself at the time. “I thought what he was doing was by far the coolest thing on the Internet. And I still do.”

Drudge hired Breitbart as a paid assistant after that and Breitbart parlayed that association into the launch of Breitbart.com. Breitbart launched a bunch of other websites as well, including BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, BigJournalism.com and BigPeace.com.

Despite his reputation as a right-wing firebrand, Breitbart also helped create the leftish Huffington Post. That association came after Drudge introduced Breitbart to Arianna Huffington, who was a Republican at the time. Breitbart was also known for breaking news of the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal in 2011.

True to his image, Breitbart was arguing and tweeting until the very end. His last tweets, logged at 2:25 a.m. EST, rebuffed Lamar White, Jr., a blogger, who took issue with Breitbart’s assertion that a report in The Atlantic defamed right-wing prankster James O’Keefe.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Gage Skidmore

More About: Andrew Breitbart, Drudge Report, Huffington Post, Media, Politics

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After the debate last night I am gratified to know that at least in the spoken word our four candidates are mostly headed away from BHO and in a direction I’d rather the country go. I’m still undecided and in the ABR camp (Anybody But Romney), however, my vote can be swayed.

I was on Redstate chat during the debate and hands down Newt won. We all agreed I think. those that didn’t agree thought their candidate did the best who ever they were sold out for in the first place. This morning I find Drudge with a voting graphic up asking who I though won the debate. Imagine my surprise when the tally came back as the image I’ve inserted here!?!

I’m fully okay with people having a differing opinion than I do (and I expect it). The Drudge Report is fully in the tank for the Romney camp and are lending credence to a suspected deal between him and Ron Paul over something. Could it be a RAND Paul VP nomination? Hmmmmm. Time will tell.

In any event I still am open to information and am gathering/evaluating it all ahead of Super Tuesday. I am NOT interested in attack ads; defense ads, yes. I want to see more of Newt’s positive spin, going after BHO, and why I should vote FOR someone, not AGAINST someone.

I’m against Barack Hussein Obama. I’m against the Socialist direction this country is taking. I’m against the anti-exceptionalist stance this administration is taking around the world. Tell me what you are FOR? Tell me why I should be FOR YOU? Tell me what You will DO to make my beloved country great again? This I can get behind. This I can volunteer for. This I can donate money too (when the companies in this country aren’t scared stiff about the next piece of legislation/regulation and start hiring again).

Cross posted at firstchevalier.com