Tom Shales Obituary

Tom Shales, the Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic for The Washington Post, passed away on January 13 at a hospital in Fairfax County, Va. He was 79 years old.

His caretaker, Victor Herfurth, stated that the cause of death was complications from COVID-19 and renal failure.

Starting his role as The Post’s chief TV critic in 1977, Shales gained national attention and influence as his widely syndicated column covered a diverse range of television genres, from nature documentaries to late-night talk shows and from network sitcoms to cable dramas.

In 1988, Shales made history by winning the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, becoming the fourth TV reviewer to receive the top honor in journalism. He was recognized as an early advocate for cable TV.

In addition to his contributions to The Post, Shales wrote for TelevisionWeek, the Huffington Post (now HuffPost), and Roger Ebert’s website, focusing on film and television. Among his literary works were “Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live” (2002) and “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN” (2011), both oral histories co-authored with journalist James Andrew Miller.

Tom Shales is survived by no immediate family members.