Top New York Times political reporter Blake Hounshell passed away unexpectedly this week after a long battle with depression, according to his family. He was 44 years old.
“It is with great sorrow that we have to inform you that Blake has suddenly died this morning after a long and courageous battle with depression,” his family said in a statement. “His wife, Sandy, and two children are in our thoughts and prayers, and ask for respect and privacy at this time.”
Hounshell started working in the media at Foreign Policy magazine after “working at a human rights and democracy think tank in Cairo and studying Arabic,” The Washington Post reported. He went on to become an influential figure at Politico and The New York Times.
The Times said in a statement:
We are deeply saddened to share the tragic news that our colleague Blake Hounshell has passed away. Many of us worked closely alongside Blake since he joined The Times in 2021.
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. 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.
Hounshell reportedly died after he jumped from the Taft Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.
Hounshell was born in California and was raised on the East Coast. He attended Yale where he studied political science.
He moved to the Middle East after 9/11 so he could understand Islamic terrorism, Politico said. He later worked at a human rights and democracy think tank in Egypt where he met his future wife Sandy Choi.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.