I can barely bring myself to write this, nor give my friend the tribute he deserves. Earlier today, I got the devastating news of the sudden passing of Michael Brooks.

I first got to know Michael in 2013, when Jacobin was just getting on its feet and Michael was working at the Majority Report. The Majority Report’s host Sam Seder told me that he had first met Michael the year before. Michael had roots in New York City, but spent his formative years in Western Massachusetts and was returning to the city and looking for a job. 

Sam needed a producer, met Michael for a drink, and was “immediately struck by his intelligence and his sense of humor and decided to hire him despite his ominous warning that he’s ‘not great with details.’”