Blogger behind ACORN, Weiner exposes

WASHINGTON — Andrew Breitbart, who became a hero to some on the political right for Internet-based muckraking that took on what he saw as too-big government and too-liberal mainstream media, has died. He was 43.

His death was announced Thursday on his website, BigJournalism.com, which said he died shortly after midnight in Los Angeles of natural causes.

Breitbart’s father-in-law, actor Orson Bean, told The Associated Press that Breitbart was walking near his house in the Brentwood neighborhood around midnight when he collapsed, and paramedics couldn’t revive him. Breitbart suffered heart problems a year ago, Bean said.

Breitbart was publisher of blogging websites including Breitbart.com, Biggovernment. com and Bigjournalism.com.

Targets of his brand of investigative journalism included U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat who resigned in 2011 after acknowledging that, as Breitbart first alleged, he had sent lewd pictures of himself to women.

Another target was ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). After activists in 2009 shot hidden-camera video appearing to show some of its counselors trying to help a prostitute get around the law, Breitbart broke the story and hosted the recording on his website. ACORN ultimately disbanded after Congress cut off federal funds to the group.

He also released edited video clips of a speech by a black U.S. Agriculture Department employee, Shirley Sherrod, that seemed to show her admitting to not fully helping a white farmer she met with in 1986. The video led Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack to fire Sherrod in July 2010.

Vilsack and President Barack Obama both apologized for the firing after learning that the full video showed that Sherrod discussed overcoming her own biases to help the man save his farm.

Born in Los Angeles in 1969, Breitbart is survived by his wife, Susannah Bean Breitbart, and four children.