Alex Okrent

Alex Okrent, who spent a decade working on Barack Obama’s political campaigns, first for the Senate and then for the White House, died on Friday, July 13.
The 29-year old collapsed in the president’s campaign headquarters in Chicago and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died. At press time, an autopsy remained inconclusive and further tests were expected. The death was not deemed suspicious, according to the Chicago Times.
Obama called the Okrent family to personally express his condolences. “A beloved member of our campaign family, Alex Okrent, passed away today,” Obama Tweeted. “Our prayers are with his loved ones. We will miss you, Alex.”
A native of Evantston, Ill. and a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Okrent was a paid staffer in the Obama campaign’s media division.
After years traveling across America on the grueling campaign trail, he had expressed to family and friends the desire to move on.
“He was a loving, passionate, bright young man, who should have had a long, bright future, his father Mike Okrent told the Chicago Tribune. “He looked to November and said ‘What am I going to do next?’ He said, ‘This is okay for a young man, but it takes a lot.’”
In addition to his father, Okrent is survived by his mother Lynn Pollack, his sister Abby Okrent, and his grandmother Susan Okrent.