Mark Shields, the political analyst best known for his long run on PBS’s NewsHour, has died at the age of 85. Anchor Judy Woodruff announced his passing on Twitter, saying that Shields “for decades wowed us with his encyclopedic knowledge of American politics, his sense of humor and mainly his big heart.” No cause of death was given. Shields stepped back from weekly appearances on the public broadcaster in 2020, saying at the time that his 33-year old tenure there had been “great fun, the most rewarding professional experience of my, admittedly checkered, career.”
