Many in the news business were left grieving this week after 75-year-old political correspondent Howard Fineman passed away following a battle with cancer. 

According to NBC News, Fineman's passing was first made public by his wife, Amy Nathan, who posted a statement on Wednesday afternoon to his X account.

Fineman's widow says husband made world "a better place"

"I am heartbroken to share [that] my brilliant and extraordinary husband passed away late last night surrounded by those he loved most, his family," she wrote.

"He valiantly battled pancreatic cancer for [two] years. He couldn’t have been adored more. The world was a better place because he lived in it and wrote about it," Nathan went on to add.

Nick Fineman is the late journalist's son, and he spoke up as well, posting a photograph of the two together on his wedding day.

"I spent a lot of the last week thinking about this moment. It was a passing of the baton of sorts, a loving moment filled with advice and guidance," the younger Fineman explained.

Chris Matthews praises Fineman as "a hard-nosed reporter"

"At times while growing up - my dad was larger than life to me. A giant on a tv screen, stage or in the pages of a magazine. Other times he was my vulnerable father that no one else had the privilege to see," he recalled.

This photo of me and my dad was taken right before my wedding - one our happiest moments together and one I’ll cherish forever. My dad, Howard Fineman, passed last night - surrounded by our family. I spent a lot of the last week thinking about this moment. It was a passing of the… pic.twitter.com/3FNbZ38U6w

— Nick Fineman (@The_FineMan) June 12, 2024

"The world was a better place because he lived in it and wrote about it. I was lucky enough to get to call him dad," Nick Fineman stressed.

Fineman was also remembered fondly by colleagues, including longtime friend and former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who praised him for being "a hard-nosed reporter."

"He was always reporting, and right up until the minute he would come on my show, he'd be off camera, with his notebook out, reporting," Matthews told NBC News.

A career spanning decades

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NBC News noted that Fineman graduated from Colgate University and later obtained a master's in journalism from Columbia University.

He began writing for Newsweek in 1980 where he remained for three decades before becoming senior politics editor and then global editorial director at HuffPost.

Fineman also worked as an analyst for MSNBC, making frequent appearances on "Hardball With Chris Matthews," "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" and "The Rachel Maddow Show."