Columnist Matt Driscoll, ‘the face of Tacoma and Pierce County,’ died of natural causes

Matt Driscoll, a fixture in the Tacoma newspaper community, died from natural causes, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The cause of Driscoll’s death was hypertensive cardiovascular disease, reported the Tacoma News Tribune (TNT). Driscoll died unexpectedly at his Central Tacoma home July 22 after he suffered a medical emergency and could not be revived. A columnist and opinion editor for the TNT, Driscoll was 43 years old.

“The humor, the witty banter, and wry observations are what brought us together,” Matt Driscoll’s wife Jennifer Driscoll. “We really clicked in that way. That was one of his strengths, one of the things we most enjoyed about each other.”

He was born Oct. 19, 1980, in Denver, Colorado, to Judie Kidd and Frank Driscoll. When Driscoll was 7, they moved to Bellevue, Washington. The family, with younger sister Kelly, eventually moved to Edgewood.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee wrote on X: “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.”

On his X site, Driscoll called himself  “the Johnny Appleseed of White Guilt” and/or “the Perez Hilton of Pierce County.”

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“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,” TNT senior reporter Shea Johnson said. “He was incredibly down to Earth, witty and kind.”

“For me, Matt Driscoll is Tacoma,” TNT president and editor Stephanie Pedersen said. “He is Pierce County. It’s hard to separate the two. He loved his family deeply, and he also loved this community.”

Matt Driscoll began his journalism career freelancing for Tacoma’s alternative weekly newspaper, the Weekly Volcano when he was 21.

Matt Driscoll and his wife moved to Portland so he could write for the city’s alternative weekly, the Portland Mercury. They eventually returned to Tacoma so he could work full-time at the Volcano and eventually become its editor.

“(Journalism) was the only thing he could see himself doing,” Jennifer Driscoll said Monday. “It was the only thing he loved. And what he loved about it was doing his best to try to tell people’s stories that may otherwise be neglected. It was all about amplifying the voices of the underdogs and serving the community by telling these stories.”

Matt Driscoll came to the TNT in 2015 after a stint at Seattle Weekly, hired to replace longtime local columnist Peter Callaghan. With the 2012 departure of columnist Kathleen Merryman, Matt Driscoll was the sole news-side staff columnist.

A staunch liberal, Matt Driscoll was often a lightning rod for readers who disagreed with his takes on politics and social issues.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs wrote on X: “On Sunday, Washington lost a vital force for South Sound journalism, a tireless explorer of his region’s stories who was also a devoted and energetic father.”

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Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said she was deeply saddened by Matt Driscoll’s death, calling him a journalist dedicated to Tacoma.

“His insightful reporting and passionate storytelling not only informed us but also brought us closer as a community,” she said in a statement to The News Tribune. “Matt was more than just a reporter; he was a friend to many and a true advocate for the people of Tacoma.”

“He was really thrilled about Tacoma and just happy with life,” Jennifer Driscoll said.

A friend has set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of the Driscoll family.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X and email him here.