Community Corner

Obama Campaign Staffer From Evanston Collapses at Chicago HQ, Dies

Alex Okrent, 29, passed away Friday, July 13. The Cook County Medical Examiner has yet to rule on the cause of his death.

A 29-year-old man from Evanston collapsed and died at the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago on Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times

Paramedics were called to the headquarters around 10:30 a.m. to treat Alex Okrent, of the 300 block of Dewey Avenue, according to the Sun-Times. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Okrent had worked on Obama's campaign in several different positions since 2004, according to the Sun-Times. His most recent job was paid media, meaning he handled advertising for Obama's re-election campaign.

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

President Obama tweeted his condolences around 10 p.m. on Friday, according to the feed on his campaign website.

"A beloved member of our campaign family, Alex Okrent, passed away today. Our prayers are with his loved ones. We will miss you, Alex. -bo," the President wrote.

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A representative of the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office told Patch they were still investigating the cause of his death as of 9:30 Saturday morning.

Okrent's parents told CBS Chicago that their son had had a heart attack after working out. Lynn Pollack, his mother, told CBS Chicago that the Wesleyan University graduate "studied government, social theory, economics and history and was committed to the Democratic Party," according to the TV station.

Okrent, @HeyAok on Twitter, described himself in his Twitter profile with the editorial statement of a newspaper founded by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison in 1831.

"I am in earnest. I will not equivocate, I will not excuse, I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard," the quote reads. Okrent sent his last Tweet on Thursday, July 12, at 4:41 p.m., according to his Twitter feed.

A , at the , 303 Dodge Ave. in Evanston, with interment to follow at Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, Okrent's family has suggested that memorials may be made in his memory to The Obama for America Campaign, www.barackobama.com , ACLU, www.aclu.org or JRC.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here