Eric Boehlert Dead After Bicycle Accident; Famed Media Critic Was 57
Eric Boehlert, a famed media critic who started as an investigative reporter and editor at Billboard and Rolling Stone, has passed away at the age of 57 after a tragic accident.
According to Billboard, the journalist died in his hometown, Montclair, New Jersey, after a train struck him at a railroad crossing while bicycling.
His good pal, Soledad O'Brien, reported the news and labeled him a "fierce and fearless defender of truth."
Eric Boehlert, a savvy commentator on the failures of corporate media, and a bold critic of right-wing bias in broadcasting, has died at age 57. A skilled reporter and a fierce analyst, @EricBoehlert shaped our understanding of how dishonest media creates dysfunctional politics. pic.twitter.com/OcQUki29QK
— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) April 6, 2022
Former presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, took to Twitter to pay tribute to Boehlert, writing, "I'm devastated for his family and friends and will miss his critical work to counteract misinformation and media bias."
Montclair Local News reported that a male bicyclist was fatally struck by a transit train near Watchung Avenue station on Monday evening.
The train left Hoboken station at around 8:58 p.m. and was set to arrive in Hackettstown at 10:07 p.m.
An NJ Transit spokesperson confirmed that the accident happened at 9:40 p.m.
Montclair-Boonton Line rail service was suspended in both directions following the tragic accident. None of the passengers and crew members was injured.
Boehlert was born in Utica, New York. He spent his early days in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but he later moved to Guilford, Connecticut.
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He played basketball on his high school team before entering the University of Massachusetts in 1988.
The journalist's career began when he worked for the New Haven Register as a stringer and wrote for the audio magazine High Fidelity.
Former Billboard editor-in-chief Timothy White later hired him as a senior writer in 1992.
In 1996, Rolling Stone hired Boehlert where he continued writing about the music business. He moved to Salon in 2000 and produced several reports about Clear Channel Communications' dominance.
After working in the famed magazine, he delved into writing about politics, employing blogs, and social media to promote his pro-Democrat beliefs.
In a phone interview, his wife Tracy Breslin said her husband loves to "speak the truth," and he found ways of "doing it wherever he worked."
"He could be pretty dogged in his approach to fairness. He always supported the artists and their fans," said of Breslin about the way Boehlert writes about music.
Billboard's former executive editor, Ken Schlager, also spoke about his late friend, saying he was "super-smart" and "highly creative."
In addition to his wife, Boehlert is survived by his children, Ben and Jane, and his siblings, Cynthia, Bart, and Thom.
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