Matt Driscoll, a 43-year-old columnist and opinion editor for The News Tribune (TNT), died unexpectedly at his Tacoma home this Sunday.
Driscoll’s death was announced by his news network.
“We’ve lost a friend and beloved colleague, but Tacoma and Pierce County have lost someone who never stopped caring,” said fellow TNT writer Sean Robinson.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) also paid tribute to Driscoll on social media.
“Tacoma still has the Rainiers and the Narrows Bridge, but our City of Destiny has a hole in our hearts at the loss of Matt Driscoll. What a big heart and an insightful pen he gave us. I miss him already,” wrote Inslee.
Tacoma still has the Rainiers and the Narrows Bridge, but our City of Destiny has a hole in our hearts at the loss of Matt Driscoll. What a big heart and an insightful pen he gave us. I miss him already. https://t.co/agGeNTM8Zj
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) July 23, 2024
Driscoll described himself as “the Johnny Appleseed of White Guilt” and/or “the Perez Hilton of Pierce County” on his social media accounts, according to My Northwest.
TNT senior reporter Shea Johnson remembered him as approachable and down-to-earth. “He was obviously a force at The News Tribune — the face of the TNT for many — but never acted like he was too cool to approach for questions, advice or just office banter,” Johnson said.
Driscoll reportedly suffered an apparent medical emergency from which he could not be revived. The official cause of death is yet to be determined, according to TNT.
It was reported that he had received a COVID-19 vaccination.
Waited a LONG time for this. @RainiersLand #vaccinated pic.twitter.com/vWZM5tBd78
— Matt Driscoll (@mattsdriscoll) May 23, 2021
Parents had to show a vaccine card. The Rainiers had rapid-testing for the kids. Took about 15 minutes.
— Matt Driscoll (@mattsdriscoll) May 25, 2021
In recent times, Driscoll had been vocal about NFL star Aaron Rodgers’ controversial views on COVID-19 vaccines. He accused Rodgers of engaging in “performance art” after the latter warned people about potential side effects of mRNA vaccines.
Rogers “repeated popular conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines, cited a number of discredited sources and claimed he was being ‘cancelled’ and ‘censored’ for ‘doing his own research.’”
I swear to god: It’s like performance art at this point. https://t.co/izr3MqysLG
— Matt Driscoll (@mattsdriscoll) January 11, 2024
According to popular X account, ‘Died Suddenly’, “Driscoll also cheered the work of pro-vaxx troll Craig Egan in 2017, while he harassed and bullied the Vaxxed movie tour, which compellingly presented the story of parents whose children developed autism after receiving routine shots after birth.”
Journalist Matt Driscoll (43) has died suddenly after proudly getting vaccinated and promoting the shot through his reporting in Washington State.
Driscoll accused Aaron Rogers of “performance art” after the NFL star was cancelled for warning people of the dangerous side effects… pic.twitter.com/RXeVJVyC4z
— DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) July 26, 2024
