The Center for Public Integrity lost a part of its family on Tuesday with the sudden passing of veteran reporter and The Buying of the President 2008 contributor John W. Mashek. He was 77.

Mashek, a longtime Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and U.S. News and World Report reporter, turned usnews.com blogger, covered every presidential election from 1960 to 1996 and was a proud three-time panelist for the national presidential debates.

In 2007, Mashek recruited and led a team of Washington reporting legends for an unprecedented series of more than 100 interviews with 2008 and former presidential candidates, fundraisers, donors, strategists, and other experts about the evolving role of money in presidential politics. Over the next two years, Mashek’s dozens of interviews for the project included Howard Baker Jr., Michael Dukakis, George McGovern, and Walter Mondale. His booming voice, gregarious personality, and frequent gifts of cakes and cookies made him a highly popular presence in the Center’s newsroom.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife Sara, his four sons, and his seven grandchildren.