David Bloom

Bloom David Bloom, 39, of Pound Ridge, New York. David Bloom, NBC correspondent and father of three, died outside of Baghdad on April 5th while covering the war in Iraq. David was an energetic and talented reporter whose battlefield broadcasts gave millions a soldier's view of war. David was born in Edina, Minnesota and attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California where he was national debate champion. His televised triumph launched his career as a reporter that began in La Crosse, Wisconsin and later Wichita, Kansas. He moved to Miami as an investigative journalist for NBC in 1989. His work took him to Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, where David served as White House corres- pondent, and finally to New York as the week- end anchor of the Today show. David was a familiar face on morning and nightly news broad- casts, bringing live coverage from the wars in Bosnia and Somalia, from Ground Zero in New York, as well as Israel, Kuwait, and Pakistan. David's enthusiasm and charismatic style endeared him to his NBC audiences and colleagues, who remem- ber David for his bound- less energy, humor, his helpful kindness and his ability to make friends effortlessly. David was a fierce competitor who loved tennis, hockey and card games, and was passionate about his work. He was an out- standing reporter second; his greatest ardor was his friends and family. Although David died doing what he loved, his heart and thoughts belonged to his family. In David's last commun- ication to his wife, Melanie, on April 5th, he wrote "when the moment comes in my life when you are talking about my last days, I am deter- mined that you and others will say 'he was devoted to his wife and children, he was admired, he gave every ounce of his being for those whom he cared most about...not himself, but God and his family.'" He is survived by Melanie, his three daugh- ters, Christine, Nicole and Ava, his parents Harold and Laura, of Edina, Minnesota, and his brothers John, of Edina, and Jim, of Seattle, Washington. Services will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Wed., April 16 at 2 p.m. David's friends have established a trust for the benefit of his three daughters. Donations in memoriam may be sent to: David Bloom Children's Trust, c/o Latham & Watkins, 885 3rd Avenue, Suite 1000, New York, NY 10022.

Published on April 13, 2003