breaking news from the district. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. >> right now his friends and family are gathering at united medical center where he passed away last night. good morning, i'm angie goff. >> i'm adam tuss. the 78-year-old was a legend in district politics. after four terms as mayor, he had a lot on the ward 8 seat. >> along with the huge political success, many personal failures marked his turbulent life. we have live team coverage. tom sherwood is in studio. we begin with megan mcgrath live. you've been there all morning

long and learning details of the last hours of his life. learng more about the final hours of marion barry. frankly, people who spoke to him, people who were with him says this comes as a surprise, that he was doing really well yesterday and there were no warning signs. marion barry was brought by ambulance here to united medical center at 12:15 a.m. he was pro noungsed dead at 1:46 a.m. all night long, friends, family and supporters have been gathering here at the hospital. you can see the video here, the prayers that were being said in the lobby here of the hospital. there was an early morning press conference as well. barry's wife, cora, as well as longtime friend and spiritual adviser reverend willie nelson. he was just released saturday evening from howard university hospit hospital. on sunday he was said to be feeling great, fantabulous is

the word he used. he visited his son, went to for a bite to eat on sunday. returning home is when he collapsed, apparently outside of his home. his driver brought him inside and called 911. that's when he was brought here by ambulance to the united medical center. his death comings as a surprise to family and friends because he has rebounded so many times they said. they thought this would be another case of that. >> he was very strong. he was upbeat and he was in good spirits. and this is a total shock for all of us. >> reporter: early this morning i spoke to a number of people who have known marion barry over the years. i spoke to one of his god sons and supporters and people who have been friends with him for a very long time. we'll hear from them coming up

in the next half hour. >> we'll be checking in with megan all morning long here as we follow this developing story. this is pretty much a shock for a lot of people. >> for someone who had a forceful voice and larger-than-life personality. he always -- very active on twitter. he would always get on there and reassure everybody. >> i think the word fantabulous says something about him. >> news 4's tom sherwood followed barry's career for decades and he joins us now. >> you know marion barry has been in failing health. he had a kidney transplant several years ago. he's had diabetes. he's been weakening. he recently had a driver to drive him around because he couldn't drive anymore. it's a shock that he died. he's bounced back so many times and said i'm going to keep coming in here. he would come in on crutches a

couple years ago, but he always wanted to be the ward 8 council member and wanted to be in on the action. he was involved in may your gray's election effort and he helped out mural bowser. he was a big influence in this city and a force in this city for decades. >> good morning, ward 8. first let me thank god for this day. >> reporter: marion barry, an icon of d.c. politics for good and bad for more than 40 years. four terms as mayor, a lock from the ward 8 council seat. marked by huge political success and many personal failures. he was dubbed early on as mayor for life by the washington city paper. he confounded critics who railed against his melodramatic life even as he basked in the glow of forgiving citizens who looked to him as their champion. he was the son of a mississippi

share cropper. barry emerged from the civil rights activism of the 1960s to zephyr on the city school board, the council, and in 1979, the first of three consecutive and often turbulent times as mayor. >> this will be a government confident and compassionate. >> reporter: his pro business policies helped to build summer youth and senior citizen programs and opened government to many african-american professionals who had been shut out. he was dogged by slow snow removal. he battled a soaring homicide rate, among the worst in the nation and vowed a war on legal drugs even as rumors were rampant about his own drug addiction. it all crashed spectacularly in 1990. fbi drug bust sting caught on videotape. barry tempted by former

girlfriend rashida moore in the washington hotel famously complaining he had been set up, what he thought was politically done. >> i want to call my lawyer right now. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: but his federal trial turned into a melodrama of personal prosecution charges and persecution complaints. of 14 drug charges, jurors convicted him of only a single misdemeanor for drug possession. u.s. district court judge give him the maximum of six months in prison. in 1992 barry emerged from prison and began his comeback right at the prison gate. just months later barry was back, winning the ward 8 council seat from long time ally wilhemina. and he married for a fourth time to longtime friend cora masters. in 1994 barry swept back into

the mayor's office for a fourth time, trouncing sharon kelly. >> we've all had valleys. the only difference between mine and yours is mine is more public than yours. >> reporter: but congress reacted sharply to kelly's massive debt and worries about another barry term, creating a five-member control board to run the city over barry. barry then appointed anthony williams as chief financial officer of the district. williamses shy compared to bury won the mayor's office as the anti barry candidate. he left the stage with a gala tribute to himself. in 20e 04 he was back again, again the ward 8 council member, again defeating a former ally, this time sandy allen, waving off criticism of disloyalty, he would only say it's not

personal. it's politics. in recent years barry won easy re-election to ward 8, suffered from declining health, a kidney transplant and other health scares along with failing to file income taxes, steering a city contract to a girlfriend and since then, the criticism of asian store owner and filipino nurses to whom he later apologized after stinging public criticism. stim, of the six mayors who served the mayor since home rule began in the 1970s, including adrien fenty and vincent gray, it was barry's roller coaster career that helped define district politics for decades barry first came to washington with the student non-violent coordinating committee, later helped establish and run pride, an inner city help gruchlt barry won the first seat on the d.c.

council in 1974. slightly wounded in the 1977 muslim siege of city buildings, he used the publicity to launch his 1978 campaign for mayor. he was a brash reformer, he was the talk in the streets and the business soouts. he narrowly won the battle after being heavily and repeatedly endorsed by the wash post editorial page. there were allegations of drug use and his own image as a self professed night owl. through it all, barry is credited with opening the city's local government to black citizens who mostly had been shut out, for creating a massive summer jobs program that while wasteful in many cases, offered a summer job or paid internship to many city youth that wanted one, for treating senior citizens as a top priority with homes and programs for those in the twilight of life.

in he helped fill his campaign war chest, too, completing the city's first convention center on time and on budget. in his last term as mayor, barry landed the deal to get the mci center built downtown. in his final days on the council, barry suffered from several physical ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and infections. on the council he was once again pushing for summer youth jobs, east of the river development and help for senior citizens. still his national reputation remains one of a promising politician, undone or diminished by his personal failing. >> let me say good afternoon everybody. >> reporter: a politics who rose against seemingly hopeless odds to win and stay in the life of politics often in spite of himself. joining me in the studio of colbert i. king, a columnist for "the washington post," a staff writer on capitol hill when the home rule charter was written in the early '70s.

you covered marion barry. you fussed at him, you liked him. your thoughts now that he has died. >> he was one of our enduring political war horses in this city. he represented an era that we won't see again. the grassroots politician, the person who had a special connection with people in the city, especially those who were, as we call, the last in, last out. >> twilight in life. >> he spoke to them. he said things to white people that they couldn't say. he said it in a way that adam clayton powell would say it. there was more to him than sort of a grassroots guy. he was a very smart guy. >> that's what a lot of people didn't get. i'm a soirnther. i know what people say. he didn't always talk as clearly as people thought he should. even recently he was right on top of all the issues.

>> i met him, got to know him when he was chairman of the finance committee of the d.c. council. he was on top of his game. he knew the budget backwards and forwards. that's the thing about him that make you like him and dislike him. he knew so much more than he led on. he understood the problems very well of the poor and what to do about them. yet when he faced the need to really get control of the government, cut it back, put some fiscal discipline in there, he said i know what to do but i can't bring myself to do it. i can't make those cuts. although he did exactly what he needed to do. he couldn't do it politically. >> when you change the government, walter washington had been the mayor, but the government is still run by outsiders, people who live in ward 9, suburbs. barry really opened up the government to african-americans. carol thompson doyle, the city

administrator, told us about that, how he changed the dynamics of what the local government would be. his personal life, he seemed never to -- i tell people, one thing he lacked so much was discipline, to stay out of the trouble he got himself into. >> that trouble came looking for him, too. he wasn't looking for it, it came looking for him. that was sort of part of his charm and his downfall, but his arm, too. people could relate to that. they could relate to the kind of nightlife he wanted to have. he loved the nightlife. what surprises me is that this came on so quickly. i saw cora barry yesterday at costco, 4:30 in the afternoon, in teaching. she was pushing her cart with a little kid in there. we chatted a little bit. now it's all over. i remember the last thing i wrote about him, i said he was a

political war horse. i compared him to hillary clinton. both of them war horses. my last line is, there's simply no stopping the war horses until the good lord calls them home. he got the call. >> thank you so much. look forward to your next column. >> barry inspired a lot of reaction, both positive and negative. right now you're responding to this news. hundreds of people have expressed their sympathy to bury's family on our facebook page. we posted videos of classic barry moments, including a recent one when he took on his kridices. you'll find that at nbcwashington.com. stay with us as we continue to follow the news here of former d.c. mayor marion barry. we'll be following the story all we'll be following the story all morning for you here on nbc4.

nest protect is the best smoke alarm. you can check it with your phone from anywhere. no fires. okay, that one was unnecessary since i'm in my home and i know i would've gotten a message if there was a problem. but you can never be too safe. still no fires. and no carbon monoxide leaks. glad i checked. am i obsessed... no, but i am safety conscious. and i'm going to check one last time because maybe there's a fire happening and i can't smell it... and there isn't. nest protect. welcome to a more thoughtful home.

breaking news right now. family and friends are remembering former d.c. mayor marion barry. many of them just left united medical center where he died just hours ago. reaction continues to pour in from people that he worked with. mayor elect muriel bowser released a statement on his passing, it reads mayor marion barry gave a voice to those who needed it most and lived his life in service to others. i along with all washingtonians. >> he has been a part ofy family for decades and he will continue to be an example to me and so many others. joining us now live on the phone, former d.c. council chairman linda crop who

obviously knew him very well. first off, can we get your thoughts on the passing of the former mayor your? >> i am so saddened by it and shocked by it. he was just a real player in the district of columbia, a powerhouse. when you look at so many things that have happened here, he was the one who ignited it. when you look at the revitalization of that whole 14th street and u street corridor, it was because he had the vision to put the center there. when you look at downtown washington, he wanted to put the center there for the basketball team. he did so much where he had a vision. of course, he was controversial, too. but when you look at the young people who he energized, the whole generation of young people, he energized them to be

involved in political life, he did a lot of good. >> chairman cropp, this is tom sherwood, we were together recently, you got an award from the d.c. chamber of commerce dinner. those businesses represented in that room, thousand people in the room that night, some of them came up to me and said got my first job in the summer jobs program started by marion barry. i'm sure people come up to you, the summer jobs thing, how it was run. even mayor barry said that was one of his biggest achievements. >> it's very hard to ignite such a fire under young people where they believe and they want to become involved. you see his legacy all over and that's why he was such an important figure that remained no matter what he did or where he went in washington, d.c.

because people remembered what he did for them to bring life into their thought process of the whole political system. >> you and your husband dwight, i hope he's feeling better, i know he's had a rough time. you and dwight were there in the early days when all the promise of the mayor your barry years were starting before "the post" endorsement of him for mayor. he had all the troubles with his taxes and the drug problems he had. but as a human being, there was no one better to sit down and talk to. >> you know, people would be surprised, but marion barry was probably one of the smartest people you could meet. he was a brilliant mind. many people don't realize he was a doctoral candidate in chemistry. people don't realize he was the first african-american eagle scout in the state of tennessee.

in the only did he know the allied science, but he knew the political sciences. he knew about all subjects. he cared about people. that was the early marion barry, and that's why he is loved still by so many peopl who remember that barry and many for gave him for what happened later on in life. >> chairman cropp, thank you for joining us here this morning. i appreciate it. we'll be talking to you in the coming days. >> okay. thank you. hundreds of people have expressed their sympathy to bury's family on our facebook page. we've also posted an expanded version of his obituary on our website, nbcwashington.com. in other news happening right now, montgomery county police are on the scene of a deadly crash in silver spring. this is video of the scene that we just got into the newsroom. it happened around 3:30 on

east-west highway and rosemary hills drive. according to police, the van, the one you're looking at here, the driver went out of control, flipped it, crashed it into the ravine. eight people inside the van during the crash. what we're told three of them have been confirmed dead. two others were rushed to the hospital. they do have serious injuries. three other passengers were not seriously hurt. right now rosemary hills drive is shut down in both directions while police continue to investigate. busy news morning for us here on this sunday morning, november 23rd. we welcome you in. we're following the developing story, former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. right now we want to get a check of the forecast. >> we'll have more team coverage coming up on this breaking story, but right now we want to check in with chuck because there's a weather system you're watching. >> you betcha, angie and adam. good morning to you and good morning everyone. bright sunshine is expected to start your sunday. clouds are coming back and there will be rain chances before this day is done.

outside, this is the way it looks in our beautiful eastern horizon, sunrise at 7:00 a.m. this morning. so still a little ways away. finally warmer air coming back. today will be the first day above average since veterans day, 11 days ago. impact on your day today, chances for rain coming in probably not until after 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 this afternoon. most of your sunday outdoor time will be dry. current conditions, a 40-degree start at national airport. temperatures right now are 15 degrees warmer than we were at the same time yesterday. where we had single digits and teens yesterday, in the low 40s in the shenandoah valley. 28 in culpepper, 43 in st. mary's county, 36 in gaithersburg. hometown forecast in oakton, virginia, chilly, 42 degrees with sunshine this morning. mid and upper 50s for much of the afternoon. a fairly nice day to be outside.

clouds thickening and rain chances returning late afternoon into this evening and rain likely overnight. warmer air coming back. moderate rain tonight. could rain pred pretty steadily between 11:00 tonight and 4:00, 5:00 in the morning. a very warm, very windy day coming tomorrow. all eyes are already going towards the middle of the week. getaway wednesday, could be travel troubles, cold and wet. looks like a mix of rain with snowflakes wednesday afternoon into wednesday evening. doesn't look like anything in the way of accumulation in metro washington. if you're doing any traveling like so many millions will be, could have a little more of an impact up the i-95 corridor. meanwhile rainy weather down parts of the mid atlantic coast. we're in this dry pocket right now. all the moisture across the carolinas and georgia is lifting northbound. there's a lot of energy in the jet stream. this is going to rain on us during the overnight hours tonight. be ready for that. could be off to a bit of a wet start first thing tomorrow

morning. the rain will move out fairly quickly. here is your future weather today. mild with increasing clouds. this computer model keeps us dry through 8:00. some of the high resolution models bring the rain chances in a little earlier than that. be prepared for raindrops any time after the sun goes down. rain likely overnight tonight. here is your seven-day forecast. 59 today, how about this? 73 tomorrow, but with a very stiff southwest breeze. cooler air returns on tuesday, but not terribly cold. the rain-snow mix possibility on the day before thanksgiving. thanksgiving itself, cloudy, on the chilly side. temperatures well below average for thanksgiving and the weekend after. back to the news. i'm tom sherwood in the newsroom. latoya foster, you have been marion barry's press person for the last -- >> close to three years now. >> it's been a 24-hour job. >> 25/8.

i'm so blessed. >> i know this is a stunning thing. >> a very difficult night. >> what happened in the last few hours that you know of of the mayor? >> i sent you a text message earlier that mayor barry was officially released from howard university hospital early on saturday. very upbeat, in great spirits. he was energized. he was so looking forward to tonight's viewing of oprah's "where are they now." >> he had some rough days. he fought to get into the office of ward 8, in recent years particularly, he vaut to maintain his strength. >> he was always fighting for the people. >> his mind was strong, but his body was giving out on him. >> the thing is, mayor barry is always working for the people. he was energized by the people. so whatever it took to get in there and do what he had to do

for the least, the lost, the disenfranchised, the voiceless, that's what he lived for. >> thank you very much. i know this is personally tough for you. >> we do want everyone to know his turkey giveaway. >> still going on. >> just the way he would want it. thank you, mr. sherwood. stay with us this morning as we continue to follow the death of former d.c. mayor marion barry. we'll have live team coverage. >> you're watching "news 4 today."

former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. we have live team coverage. good morning everyone and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm angie goff. >> i'm adam tuss. it is sunday, november 23rd, 2013. we begin our coverage with news 4's tom sherwood.

i think we should recap exactly what happened. we know he was discharged from the hospital sometime last night, was on his way home. apparently stopped to get something to eat, was with his son and got to his house in southeast d.c. and before even getting into the house apparently collapsed. that's when he was taken to the hospital in southeast where he still was alive and then later died at the hospital. >> he was at united medical center on southern avenue, a critical hospital, that's been fighting to stay open. the city has been fighting to take it over. it was good he got there but apparently too late. >> one of the things we followed with marion barry for so long is he's been in the hospital and out of the hospital and into the hospital and out of the hospital. this is actually kind of a shock. >> even the last tweet he said thanks for all your thoughts. >> once ton radio show, i didn't believe he could tweet, he actually got his phone out.

he said, hey, tom, or something like that. at 78 he was in declining health the last few years, the kidney operation. a remarkable era has come to an end. marion barry led a remarkable li life. >> reporter: barry first came to washington with the student non-violent coordinating committee, later helped establish and run pride, an inner city health group. when congress established limited home rule to d.c., he won the first seat on the d.c. council. slightly wounded in the siege of city buildings, he used the publicity to launch his 1978 campaign for mayor, a brash reformer, able to talk on the streets and in the business suites, narrowly won a three-way battle after being endorsed by "the washington post" editorial

place. there were allegations of drug use and own image as a self-professed night owl. through it all and despite his thoughts, bury is credited with opening the city's local government to black citizens who had been mostly shut out, for creating a massive summer jobs program while wasteful in many cases, offered a summer job or paid internship to many city youth who wanted one. homes and programs for those in the twilight of life. his pro business stance helped fuel the first downtown real estate boom in the 1980s. he completed the city's first convention center on time and on budget. in his last term as mayor, barry landed the deal to get the mci center built downtown. in his final days on the council, barry suffered from several physical ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and infections. on the council he was once again pushing for summer youth jobs, east of the river development and help for senior citizens.

still his national reputation remains one of a promising politician, undone or diminished by his personal failing. >> let me say good afternoon everybody. >> reporter: a politician who rose against seemingly hopeless odds to win and stay? the life of politics, often in spite of himself. >> wow, what a life. tom, mayor your barry in recent interviews has come and talk about that time in the '90s, called it a sliver of times. he says he doesn't want people to judge him from the '90s, but from his entire career. how do you think the history bookses -- >> unfortunately, mayor your barry, the washington mayor your arrested in an fbi sting at the vista hotel in 1990. that's what everybody will know. that's what happened. he knew that. what will be lost to a lot of people is the things he did as mayor, the things he did for summer jobs, the things he did to make senior citizens have

places to be. he had a lot of positive, positive, positive things in his life. but bad stuff as you know always goes to the top. >> a huge role with civil rights. >> oh, yes. from the '60s civil rights. >> mayor your barry was very active on twitter and proved he tweeted himself as tom sherwood mentioned. in fact, his last tweet was a message to everyone who wouz worried about him in reaction to concern that he was in temperature who, he said, quote, thanks for your prayers and warm thoughts, end quote. people already responding online tweeting rest in peace. right now barry's loved ones are heading home from that hospital. they woke up in the middle of the night to remember him there. >> news 4's megan mcgrath talked to many of them. she's live at the hospital right now with what they said. >> reporter: good morning. over the last hour or so, family, friends an supporters who gathered here have gone home after what's been a very long and obviously emotional night at

united medical center. we're hearing from people that this is coming as quite a surprise. there was an early morning press conference. barry's wife, cora masters barry was there, muriel bowser was there as well. rewe learned about the final hours of marion barry. what they said is this is really very unexpected. yes, he's had a lot of health issues in recent months and years, but he's always bounced back. that seemed to have been the case in all of this, that he actually was released from howard university hospital on saturday evening. he left the hospital and went out to visit his son. that's what he was doing in his final hours. he visited his son, we're told he actually went for a bite to eat and was returning home after that visit when he collapsed. he collapsed outside of his home. we're told his driver brought him inside and called 911. he was then taken by ambulance to united medical center. that happened about 12:15, marion barry was pronounced dead

at 1:46 a.m. we spoke to a number of people here at the hospital who were obviously very upset, crying, praying and remembering the life of marion barry, spoke to one of his god sons as well as another young man that was mentored by marion barry. they talked about the powerful force that he was in their life and how he always took the time to guide them and offer advice. >> leader from birth that always stood up for people. regardless of what happened in the people, he did it for the people, the kids, the ellers, the senior rs, the parents, to speak for what's right. >> he was a true definition of how to establish a young man to become a man, a true definition of a real father, father figure who has not only been a father to me but to the community. those who felt they didn't have father, he stepped right in there. >> reporter: you all were

talking about how barry was tweeting in his final hours. people here were talking about that and talking about the famous annual turkey giveaway scheduled for tuesday. they wanted to make very clear that this will go on. it was such an important part of his legacy and something wonderful forward 8, and that it will be happening on tuesday as scheduled. now i'll send it back over to tom. >> thank you, megan. joining me in the studio, fred cook, lawyer for marion barry for many years, leader in the city, adviser for many people politically. you've known marion barry a long time. corporation council before the job turned into attorney general in the city. your personal thoughts about marion barry. we can talk about the trowel all we want, but your personal thoughts. >> i've been thinking about it since i got the news. he was an absolutely unique person. i think he's the kind of person

that only comes along every now and again. i think that sort of gets lost in some of the more unpleasant things about his history. but he was an absolutely unique person. he was very selfless. he didn't get into the political business for personal anodizement. he didn't try to make a lot of money in it. he wanted to help people. that's what i get from him, is how much he gave to people, how much of a difference he made in people's lives. >> one of the things for business purposes, when he was mayor in the '80s and downtown was a dead zone, he got the verizon center built, for exampl example. he helped start the economic boom we're still enjoying now, 20-plus, 30 years later. a lot of those people have a long horizon. they didn't all happen literally

on his watch. he began them, put the wheels in motion. back in that time people jokingly referred to the city's bird as the crane because there were so many cranes downtown building things. after the riots in '68, downtown was pretty devastated. marion began the process of making that change and creating a new downtown in what was formerly the old downtown. he was very, very focused on economic development, on growing the city, on being inclusive in that growth and including people who had not been included before. >> like minority contracting, did it like maynard jackson did it in the city. >> he and maynard jackson and harold washington were part of that group of mayors who thought they could use the power of government to make a difference in the economic life of the people who had been shut out for so long. he really was very serious about

that. there were strides made, many, many more positive things done in terms of inclusion. you can criticize some of the things he did, but philosophically he was committed to inclusion. you can talk about the summer youth program, you can talk about expanding number of district of columbia employees and you can have a philosophical debate about whether that's a good use of money. he believed that investment was an investment worth making. >> thank you very much for coming in this morning and talking to us. fred cook, marion barry's lawyer and long time leader in the city. >> mayor vincent gray released a statement this morning on the death of former mayor marion barry. it reads marion was not just a colleague, but also was a friend with whom i shared many fond moments about governing the city. he loved the district of columbia and so many

washingtonians loved him. >> many of you continue to express your reaction online. we're posting new details of the story on facebook as soon as we get them in. at this hour hundreds of you have shared the story. we know many of you are waking up to it right now. >> we want to remind you you can visit our facebook page at nbcwashington.com to keep up with everything we're learning about barry's death. we'll be right back.

breaking news this morning. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. >> d.c. mayor elect muriel bowser and barry's family gathered to remember him at united medical center overnight. news 4's megan mcgrath will join us live from there. we have tom sherwood here in studio to talk about the news in just a few minutes. >> obviously a very busy news morning on this sunday, november 23rd. we have "meet the press"

moderator chuck todd with us. your initial thoughts on the man, the former mayor? >> my first summer when i moved here was the infamous summer of when the mayor got arrested and became everything -- i think that's when i got introduced to mr. sherwood, watching him over and over during that time period. the thing you learn here over time is the fact that there's a lot more to marion barry than what happened that day, and this is a man who was on the font lines of the civil rights movement, there's so many things historically, and i think in his obituary, people will remember this, what he did before he was mayor and what he did on the front lines of the civil rights movement, right up there with the john lewises and some of these other folks. it's that that is why i think there was so much loyalty in washington for him. so many washingtonians were

willing to give r forgive so many of his sins because when it mattered to them, he was there on the front lines. >> that had to be a question that outsiders from washington would skrks how does this guy get re-elected and re-elected. >> you have to understand sort of this city, what it is today, africans americans getting the chance to govern and self-govern here in washington, d.c., it's marion barry that made that possible. it's marion barry that broke so many barriers here. that's why there's always so much loyalty to him. it's something you have to learn, have to have lived here in this city. >> we do want to ask you what's coming up on "meet the press." >> obviously two huge stories, both different levels of tension. one is the immigration decision, the fallout from that. two senators who were on the front lines of crafting legislation to try to get something done, obviously everything stalled there. the question is what happens

there. >> frankly, is the move the president did legal? and also ferguson. . we're taking the angle of the government entities here overcranked a little bit to declare a state of emergency in missouri before anything has happened seems oddly pessimistic. an array of folks to talk thabt as well. >> a lot of big conversations coming up on "meet the press." >> and we'll touch on marion barry's legacy as well. >> we want to remind you you can see "meet the press" every sunday right here on nbc4 right after "news 4 today." >> joining us now live on the phone with more to remember the former d.c. mayor marion barry, isaac fullwood, the former d.c. police chief in the city when marion barry was the mayor. good morning, how are you? >> good morning. >> i guess initially we need to know your thoughts and

remembrances of the former mayor. >> well, when i heard the news i was shocked. i'm almost one of these people who thought marion barry would live forever. a man who gave me an opportunity to become chief of police, who i met when he organized pride incorporated many, many years ago and was walking around demonstrating and talking about african-americans have an opportunity to get ahead and his investment in young people, an investment in the city that we hear about people talking about one city. marion barry was a person who really lived one city. he wanted everybody to be involved and to share in the city's wealth. marion was a unique individual. this is the end of an era that

we will never see again. >> chief, tom sherwood, thank you very much for joining us this morning. i haven't fussed at you in a long time. you've been doing a good job with that parole commission. let me ask you, in 1990 when barry was arrested, you were the police chief then. d.c. police officers, d.c. detectives were involved if that arrest. what was your gut feeling when that happened? >> when it actually came down and the arrest was made i actually personally cried because marion was an important person to me. and i knew that he had done great things, but that this would be the judging issue for him.

i was stunned by it. we heard rumors for a long time about marion and substance abuse and other kinds of things that had occurred. when that happened. it comes full circle. it's not just a rumor anymore. it's a fact. >> thank you very much, chief. we appreciate you taking your time. i know this is a personal loss for you, too. >> barry inspired a lot of reaction, positive and negative. right now you're responding to this news. hundreds of people have expressed their sympathy to bury's family on our facebook page, we posted videos of classic barry moments including a recent one when he took on his critics who he called barry haters. you'll find that at nbcwashington.com. we want to get a check of your forecast now on this sunday morning. the weather actually looks like it's going to warm up a little bit. right, chuck? >> enjoy mild air coming back for all of two whole days. today will be the first of it.

warmer today for sure. into the upper 50s. chance of rain coming in for this evening, probably not until after the sun comes down. you the daylight hours to take advantage. tomorrow breezy and much, much, much warmer. 73 tomorrow, that will be nice. closer to average on tuesday. big travel day on wednesday. looks like a good chance of what mostly will be rain. i can't rule out there won't be snowflakes mixed in on the big travel day. turkey day looking a little on the chilly side. highs back into the 40s. >> we continue to follow the death of marion barry. we have trading-in or selling your car, truck or suv? webuyanycar.com takes the hassle

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we continue to follow breaking news from the district. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died.

>> tom sherwood has been covering marion barry for decades. this was a complete shock to you? >> it's a shock he died because he had just gotten out of howard hospital and was on his way home. for him to have apparently a cardiac ar rflt or something and die at united medical center. if you were with us earlier, former chief ike fulwood was on the phone to talk about barry as a person, i never heard him say this before, the night that his police officer with the fbi helped get barry arrested, ike cried. that shows the feeling people had. whatever the irritations you had with barry's wrongdoings, failure to follow through on some issues. barry had a personal touch. i want to ask one of his secretaries in the office, some new controversy, we had all been chasing it around. i said to her, why do people just forgive him, every time

something happens, why do you forgive him? she said he doesn't even have to go into the church to be forgiven, he can just stand on the front steps. that said more to me than what all the people said. because they saw him as someone who put a fire station in ward 8. they saw him give jobs to people. >> right. >> sometimes he didn't make some of these people do their jobs very well, but he gave jobs to people in their own city. he opened the doors of the wilson building and then the district building for people who had been shut out. >> tom sherwood with wonderful insight there. you'll be with us all morning. "news 4 today" continues at 7:00 a.m. ♪ [instrumental music] ♪

breaking news from the district. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. >> right now barry's friends and family are gathering at united medical center where he passed away last night. good morning everyone. i'm angie goff. >> i'm adam tuss. the 78-year-old was a ledge nend district politics. after four terms as mayor, he had a lock on the d.c. council's ward 8 seat. >> along with that huge political success, many personal failures marked his turbulent life. we have live team coverage. we begin with megan mcgrath live

at united medical center in southeast. megan, you've been there all morning. it seems like the feeling you're getting from everyone there, his family and friends, this was really unexpected. >> reporter: it was unexpected. everyone has known he's had battles with his health in recent years, in fact, in recent days. he's always seemed to bounce back. many thought that would play out this time around. he was strong, people who talked to him in the hours leading up to his death said there were no warning signs. yes, they are surprised. marion barry's wife was present during a pre dawn press conference. she didn't speak. she could be seen wiping away tears. she did not speak. the family did, however, release this statement. it says it is with deep regret that the family of marion s. barry, junior, announces that he has passed. we ask that you please respect the family's privacy at this time. marion barry was brought by ambulance to the united medical

center at 12:15 a.m. he was pronounced dead at 1:46 a.m. as we were discussing, he's had a lot of health issues in recent years and recent days. in fact, he was just released saturday evening from howard university hospital. after his release, he was said to be feeling great. in fact, he used the word fantabulous. he went and visited his son and relaxed with his son, watched television. while returning home, he stopped for a bite to eat and then it was after he had that bite to eat and was at his house going from the car into his home that he collapsed. his driver brought him inside and called 911. he was taken by ambulance here to united medical center. now, familiarly, friends, supporters have been gathering here at the hospital. we have been speaking to them this morning. they talked about what a big impact marion barry has had on their lives. >> thank you, megan. megan mcgrath live at united

medical center in southeast washington. obviously we'll be following the story all morning long. >> when you talk about that impact, as megan mentioned, we are seeing it just overflow online. everyone chiming in saying d.c. will never be the same. how does marion barry define the politics of the district? >> he defined it because walker washington was the first mayor in 1974. marion barry defeated him. chairman of the council at the time, sterling tucker. barry took the city in a new direction. he was young, vibrant. he had plans to help people not doing well. he created a whole different thing n. the '80s he helped boost downtown development which was very important. i think had he been mayor at the right time, i think we wouldn't have lost the washington football team in the suburbs either. in marion barry's case, this is

an end of an era. >> reporter: barry first came to washington with the student non-violent coordinating committee, later helped establish and run pride, an inner city help group. when limited home rule was granted to d.c., barry won the first seat on the d.c. council in 1974. slightly wound phd the 1977 hand nof fi muslim siege, he used the publicity to launch his 1978 campaign for mayor. he was a brash reformer, able to talk in the streets and in the business suites. he narrowly won a three-way battle after being heavily and repeatedly endorsed by "the washington post" editorial page. his terms in office were mar by investigations into cronyism, allegations in drug use and his own image as a self-professed night owl. through it all, barry is credited with opening the city's local government to black citizens who mostly had been shut out, for creating a massive summer jobs program, that while wasteful in many cases offered a

summer job and paid internship to any site city youth that wanted one, treating senior citizens as a top priority. he helped fill the campaign war chest, too. he completed the city's first convention center on time and on budget. in his last term as mayor, barry landed the deal to get the mci center built downtown. in his final days on the council, he suffered from several physical ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and infections. on the council he was once again pushing for summer youth jobs, east of the river development and help for senior citizens. still his national reputation remains one of a promising politician, undone or diminished his his personal failing. >> good afternoon everybody. >> reporter: a politician who rose against seemingly hopeless odds to win and stay in the life of politics often in spite of

himself. joining me in the studio council chairman phil mendelson. chairman, you've had to fight with marion barry, had to bang the gavel on him in many council sessions. as frail as he was physically, mern tally he was all over the issues that he cared about. >> absolutely. and he was active to the end. i'm very sorry about his passing. but he remained active. he was very upset with where the government was going with regard to low income folks, particularly with how we're handling tanif. >> welfare payment assistance. >> yes. he was really upset about that. it speaks to his commitment to those that are especially in need and how the government needs to help them. >> as the ward 8 council member, he wanted more development there, even the discussion about a new soccer stadium in southwest includes a discussion of possibly taking the center he

built and creating a new building in ward 8 to help that city, that part of the city with economic development. >> it speaks to how much he was trying to do with east of the river and ward 8. >> trying to get people who had been in prison jobs and job training. >> a lot of people wonder why marion barry, as controversial as he was, was so popular. it was because he was a voice for, as he would put it, the last, the lost and the least. he did give voice to them and these were issues, as you just said, returning citizens, economic development, not leaving behind folks, particularly people in poverty. >> was he different in person when you had meetings with him, was he different or could he cajole you and try to make everything smooth with a few funny words or something? >> that's true. part of marion barry's success was his charm, the fact he could

connect with people, connect with them individually. those of us on the council and the mayor, whichever mayor wow want to talk about, we all dealt with him on a business level. he was very committed to these issues as i've said, and he was right in the thick of it on these issues. >> many people who are not in the sit stay or some in the city remain furious with him because he got caught up in the drug, got arrested, didn't file his income taxes for many years, he gave his girlfriend a contract, all these things, self-inflicted wounds of what he did. what do you have to say to people about that? >> i say a couple things to them. one of them is politics, there's paernl level to politics. some people are very good at it. some of it not so good. marion was very good at that. he connected with people. in the end that's what politics

is about, especiall on the local level. he made those connections. another point is nobody is perfect, nobody, especially those of us who are in elected office. marion made no secret of that. he admitted to that. when he could get in trouble, he'd say i'm flawed just like the next guy. >> the only difference between us is my troubles are more public than yours. >> that's true. >> mr. chairman, thank you very much. the city will go forward with i'm sure appropriate funeral services. way too early to know anything about that. >> it is too early. >> it will be significant. >> i have already talked to mayor gray and i will be talking with him more and mayor elect in what are the appropriate steps that the government should be taking. >> all right, sir. thank you very much for coming in this morning. appreciate it. council chairman phil mendelson. >> all right, tom. thank you. right now many of you are sending prayers asking for marion barry to rest in peace.

reaction the his final team. when someone said to pray for him, barry responded, quote, thanks for your prayers and warm thoughts. >> mayor vincent gray released a statement this morning on the death of the former mayor your. it reads "marion was not just a colleague but also a friend with whom i shared many fond moments about governing the city. he loved the district of columbia and so many washingtonians loved him." we're keeping you up to date online on nbcwashington.com. when news 4 returns, we continue to remember marion barry.

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remembering former d.c. mayor marion barry. many of them just left united medical center where he died just hours ago. >> reaction is pouring in from the people who worked with him. mayor marion barry gave a voice to those who needed it most. i along with all washingtonians are shocked and deeply saddened by his passing. >> she continues, we send out condolences to core are masters barry, chris barry and the entire barry family. he's been a part of my family for decades and will continue to be an example to me and so many others. right now hundreds of you are sharing the story on nbc washington's facebook page. on twitter marion barry is trending worldwide. you share your thoughts by going to our facebook page. when news 4 returns more on remembering marion barry. trading-in or selling your car, truck or suv? webuyanycar.com takes the hassle out of selling in just 3 easy steps.

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we are staying on top of breaking news in the district, former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. we have live team coverage. good morning and welcome to "news 4 today," i'm angie goff. >> i'm add dumb tuss. we begin our coverage with news 4's tom sherwood. he joins us live in studio. >> thank you, adam. joining me on the set is latoya foflter, marion barry's last

press secretary. i want you to say one more thing. on tuesday, this coming tuesday at willy wilson's church. >> union temple. >> marion barry's turkey giveaway which he loved still going on. >> the show must go on. he wouldn't have had it any other way. yes, we're going to see his wishes through. he was looking forward to serving the people of his community, the ward 8 residents he represented. we're going to keep moving with that. >> i hope i'm not breaking the embargo. the issue is even better because with all his health issues, can i say what you're going to do? >> no. we'll leave that as a surprise. >> going to make it a more healthy thanksgiving for people. you dealt with him now for many, many months. in spite of his failing health, he got to the council, one way or another he got to the council, had the meetings.

>> as a matter of fact, when i spoke to him earlier today, he talked about why it was so important to come to the council office on monday because of the soccer stadium and because of meetings he had coming up. this was a man who was determined. >> he was fussing a little bit about having to have somebody drive him around. he liked to drive himself. >> he liked to be in control and he likes to do it his way as we all know. but that was all right. he gave in. >> how is cora doing, his wife? >> mrs. barry is one of the strongest women that i know. he's a beautiful person, a phenomenal woman, a phenomenal human being. as you can imagine, she is shocked. she's hurting. she's devastated. not only is this his wife, but this has been his friend for over 40 years. >> political advisor. >> yes, partner, friend, adviser. as cue can imagine, this is a very difficult time for she and his son christopher. >> you pass along our condolences to her and the

entire family and christopher, too. >> absolutely, yes. >> thank you for coming in. >> thank you so much. >> back to you. marion barry was very active on twitter. his last tweet a message to everyone who was worried about him in reaction to concern that he was in the hospital, barry said, quote, thanks for your prayers and warm thoughts, end quote. people are already responding online tweeting rest in peace. right now barry's loved ones are headed home from the hospital. they woke up in the middle of the night to remember him there. >> we're going to continue to stay on top of this story obviously for you all morning. right now we want to get a check of our forecast as people start to wake up and hear this news on sunday morning. >> good morning, adam and angie. sunday off to a quiet start, a beautiful sky out there. sun came up about 18 minutes ago. sky also go from partly to mostly cloudy as we work our way through the day. south wind at 5 miles per hour. what you'll notice on your way

out the door is how much warmer it is this morning compared to yesterday. yesterday morning most of the shenandoah valley was in the mid teens. this morning you're waking up to temperatures in the 30s and 40s, even around town, yesterday, we started at 26. we're now 41. it's on average about 15 degrees warmer outside now than yesterday morning. we'll continue to keep that mild trend going. getting up into the low and mid 50s by lunchtime. increasing clouds during the day. it will be a mild one, though. high temperatures into the upper 50s to maybe near 60 in some locations. rain is on the way for tonight, this evening and tonight. a lot of rain down across the carolinas and georgia. the rate it's going, it's not racing in. still the better part of 11 or 12 hours away. getting near 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 i think is when the rain chances will start to go up. showers across northwestern pennsylvania. the rain we're watching is the one coming out of the south from carolina. future weather forecast for the remainder of the afternoon, skies mostly cloudy. an opportunity for a little

light rain in that 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 tom frame e. steadier rain after 10:00, 11:00 this evening. moderate to heavy rain overnight and into early tomorrow morning. 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, rain showers all around the metro. the morning commute could be off to a bit of a wet start. by 9:00 tomorrow morning, the rain will be coming to an end. a strong southwest breeze will make for a very warm day tomorrow. back into the 70s we will go for tomorrow. so here is your seven-day forecast. for today, increasing clouds, showers coming in after dark, temperatures in the upper 50s today. 70s tomorrow. quite breezy at times, a beautiful mild day. a little cooler on tuesday. the big getaway day on wednesday, pretty good chance of rain, maybe mixed in with snowflakes as well. bigger travel problems north of us towards new york city and boston, a little unsettled wintery weather across the upper midwest and plains.

rain-snow mixed in the day before thanksgiving. thanksgiving itself, mostly cloudy, on the cold side, back into the 40s. news 4 continues to stay on top of breaking news. ward 8 councilman marion barry has died. >> you can read the former d.c. mayor's full bio online at nbcwashington.com. you're watching "n

friends and family of marion barry are remembering him. they gather to pray at the hospital where he died just hours ago. >> we have live team coverage of the story. news 4's tom sherwood is here in the studio. megan mcgrath is in southwest d.c. reaction continues to pour in on the former d.c. mayor's breast. >> colby king, reporter joined us in studio earlier and called his passing the end of an era. >> he represented an era we won't see again. the grassroots politician, the person who had a special connection with people in the city, especially those who were as we call say the last in, last out. there's simply no stopping the war horses until the good lord calls him home. he got that call. >> tom, the most interesting thing about this is you get a sense from all the people we've

talked to this morning how larger than life marion barry was. >> he filled up whatever room he was in, plus the one next to it. he was sick last spring. i talked to cora masters barry. barry had been hospitalized for a while. had been trying to recuperate and get his strength back. he got out of his sick bed to go out and campaign for vince gray, running for re-election at the time. i saw him. i said you're not supposed to be out here, you're supposed to be getting better. cora said, this is his life's blood, politics. he's not going to keep him out. it would be better for him to be out here than to be wasting away in a hospital. he did that. then when mayor gray lost in april, marion barry was still active. he became the loyal democrat, started supporting mur yell bowser. admit night he was saying what

he was going to do. i said you can go home. he loved politics. it was his life. that's what will be missed in this city. >> definitely a huge player on the political stage no matter what position he held. looking forward, what can we expect in the days ahead? i can only imagine this huge outpouring for a way to remember a legacy that was indeed huge but also somewhat complicated. >> complicated because of his personal life troubles. as long time council member and four-term mayor i'm sure his body will lay in repose at the wilson building, funeral services, a magnificently and unbelievably large event to say good-bye. >> we'll have more from tom coming up. >> i think this next week is going to be pretty interesting here in the district for sure. >> maybe the next couple. we'll continue to follow the story here. this morning, the breaking news, former d.c. mayor and council member marion barry has died. >> stay wi

so many of you are reacting to former d.c. mayor marion barry's death. he passed away at united medical center in southeast d.c. overnight. >> he was only just out of the hospital when he collapsed. his friends and loved ones called the news shocking. we'll have their reaction coming up in just a few minutes. >> good morning and welcome to "news 4 today," i'm angie goff. >> i'm adam tuss. news 4's tom sherwood has obviously covered marion barry's career for a long time. he joins us in studio.

he's been with us all morning. tom, i guess we should reset and give your initial thoughts on what's happened. are you shocked personally? >> many people are using the word shocked. as i've watched him decline in health, his ability to work as a council member was never faltered. when he talked that he knew more about issues. physically he was just failing. recently he reluctantly agreed to have someone drive him around. it was not safe for him to drive. >> which he didn't want to do. >> he hated that. as one of our guests said, he liked to be in charge. he was here for so long, it's hard to fathom he's actually going to be gone. i kept telling him, i said mr. mayor, i don't want anything to happen to you until i retire. it's going to be too much work. he was full of life. four-term mayor. it's a remarkable life. >> good morning ward 8.

>> reporter: marion barry, an icon of d.c. politics for good and bad for more than 40 years. four terms as mayor, a lock on the ward 8 council seat. marked by huge political success and many personal failures. he was dubbed early on as mayor for life by the washington city paper. he confounded critics who railed against his melodramatic life even as he basked in the glow of forgiving citizens who looked to him as their champion. he was the son of a mississippi share cropper. barry emerged from the civil rights activism of the 1960s to zephyr on the city school board, the council, and in 1979, the first of three consecutive and often turbulent times as mayor. >> this will be a government confident and compassionate. >> reporter: his pro business policies helped to build summer youth and senior citizen

programs and opened government to many african-american professionals who had been shut out. poor city services dogged barry. slow snow removal. he battled a soaring homicide rate, among the worst in the nation and vowed a war on legal drugs even as rumors were rampant about his own drug addiction. >> the next drug buy may be from a police officer. >> reporter: it all crashed spectacularly in 1990. fbi drug bust sting caught on videotape. barry tempted by former girlfriend rashida moore in the washington hotel famously complaining he had been set up, what he thought was politically done. >> i want to call my lawyer right now. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: but his federal trial turned into a melodrama of

prosecution charges and persecution complaints. of 14 drug charges, jurors convicted him of only a single misdemeanor for drug possession. u.s. district court judge gave him the maximum of six months in prison. in 1992 barry emerged from prison and began his comeback right at the prison gate. just months later barry was back, winning the ward 8 council seat from long time ally wilhemina rolart. and he married for a fourth time to longtime friend cora masters. in 1994 barry swept back into the mayor's office for a fourth term trouncing sharon kelly. >> we've all had valleys. the only difference between mine and yours is mine is more public than yours. >> reporter: but congress reacted sharply to kelly's massive debt and worries about another barry term, creating a five-member control board to run

the city over barry. barry then appointed anthony williams as chief financial officer of the district. williams, shy compared to barry won the mayor's office as the anti barry candidate. he left the stage with a gala tribute to himself. in 2004 he was back again, again the ward 8 council member, again defeating a former ally, this time sandy allen, waving off criticism of disloyalty, he would only say it's not personal. it's politics. in recent years barry won easy re-election to ward 8, suffered from declining health, a kidney transplant and other health scares along with failing to file income taxes, steering a city contract to a girlfriend and since then, the criticism of asian store owners and filipino

nurses to whom he later apologized after stinging public criticism. still, of the six mayors who served the mayor since home rule began in the 1970s, including adrien fenty and vincent gray, it was barry's mayor for life personality and roller coaster career that helped define district politics for decades. barry first came to washington with the student non-violent coordinating committee, later helped establish and run pride, an inner citigroup. he won the first seat ton d.c. council in 1974. slightly wounded in the 1977 muslim siege of city buildings, he used the publicity to launch his 1978 campaign for mayor. he was a brash reformer, he was the talk in the streets and the business soouts. he narrowly won the being heavily and repeatedly

endorsed by "the washington post" editorial page. there were allegations of drug use and his own image as a self professed night owl. through it all, barry is credited with opening the city's local government to black citizens who mostly had been shut out, for creating a massive summer jobs program that while wasteful in many cases, offered a summer job or paid internship to many city youth that wanted one, for treating senior citizens as a top priority with homes and programs for those in the twilight of life. barry's pro business stance helped fuel the first downtown real estate boom in the 1980s and helped fill his campaign war chest, too, completing the city's first convention center on time and on budget. in his last term as mayor, barry landed the deal to get the mci center built downtown. in his final days on the council, barry suffered from several physical ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure and infections. on the council he was once again pushing for summer youth jobs,

east of the river development and help for senior citizens. still his national reputation remains one of a promising politician, undone or diminished by his personal failings. >> let me say good afternoon everybody. >> reporter: a politician who rose against seemingly hopeless odds to win and stay in the life of politics often in spite of himself. >> just a short time ago we spoke with former d.c. police chief isaac fulwood. he was on the job when barry was arrested at the vista hotel. he cried he said when the mayor was arrested. we talked to him. here is some whaf of what he had to tell us a short time ago. >> when it actually came down and the arrest was made, i actually personally cried because marion was an important person to me. i knew that he had done great

things, but that this would be the judging issue for him. >> tom, i didn't get a chance to ask mr. fulwood about this. this must have been somewhat of an awkward term. as you touched on, he was appointed by marion barry. in your obituary you touched on the hand nof fi siege. he was actually one of the police officers that went to save marion barry after he was shot. and then to be at the top when the guy has to go to jail, that just had to be such a mixed emotion. >> like many people, ike ful dlooed wood saw the best and the worst. one of the things he did was to make it more accessible for african-americans to be within the police department. it was a number of things he did. can we now go talk to anita bonds. >> anita bonds also knew him quite well. she was an adviser to bury's

first race for mayor, council member at large, anita bonds, thanks for joining us. >> good morning. how are you all? >> we're doing all right. i think the first thing we want to get is your personal reaction to the news about the former mayor. >> well, i was in disbelief, to be very honest with you. marion barry had nine extraordinary lives in the district of columbia and many more probably prior to coming on the political scene in d.c. so i just have to sit up and think for a split second, this could not possibly be. we all inevitably have a life that ends and his life was very full with accomplishments as well, as he calls, valleys, but

certainly many, many accomplishments. he gave so much to the district of columbia. >> council member bonds, this is tom sherwood. thank you for joining us on the telephone. you've only been an elected official just since 2013. you've always been a political leader, head of the city's democratic party. you have helped any number of campaigns, most of them winning. you were there with barry in the 1978 campaign when he had the upset victory against incumbent walter washington. tell us something about that time. had you been with him for a while or did you join that year? i think you were with him even before that in the civil rights era. how far back to you go without telling us your age? >> listen, i was with barry when he ran first time for the council, he ran and was successful at-large council member.

then, of course, the idea was that the city needed very strong leadership and he was ready to step up to the test, and we -- he was elected in 1978. took office in '79. i worked for him. >> what was he like then as a young man? he was 42 years old. >> i'm sorry? >> what was he like then? he was 42 years old when he was first elected mayor your. tell us something about him then. how much did he pay attention to the campaign or did he just be out saying hello to people? >> well, you know, his characteristic was definitely to be out and around with people. in fact, i remember distinctly being tasked with getting him focused on making calls to ask for money. instead, he would like to say hello to everyone he saw on the

street and spend time pressing the flesh and listening to people, very good listener. in fact, i hope i have some of those characteristics based on what i learned through working with him. he taught me that listening to people is the most important thing you can do, if you're aspire to be a representative of the people. >> thank you very much, thank you for letting us listen to you talking about marion barry. i know this is tough for you personally. thank you. >> yes, it is. thank you very much. bye, bye. >> our

welcome back. we want to go to the phones again. we have one of our own, news 4's molette green who is going to be joining us because we've learned that you just talked to marion

barry just a few days ago. what did he say, molette? >> yes, just days ago i had the pleasure of seeing marion barry. i was working a food drive for whur radio. he always came every year, promising money to feed the needity. we took a picture together, i tweeted that picture out, and also the mayor, the former mayor, one of his last tweets was a picture he took and a conversation that he gave me one of my first jobs through the summer employment program that many people still talk about today, that started there life working and getting a paycheck and making a living. he tweeted in that tweet, in that picture he said he gave molette green her first job. >> we're showing that right now.

>> it was wonderful. i was struck and my colleague, the day of the food drive, we were struck by hair your barry's physical presence. he was very frail. it took him a while to get from his car to the setup for the food drive. he was very determined in his mind. his mind was sharp, obviously, as we all know about marion barry. he was determined to make it to that event and to talk to the people of ward 8 and ward 7 and all through out the city. he really cared about those who were less fortunate, people in public housing, ex-cons willing to represent them. if i could, i would read a quote from an interview that i did with marion barry where he said he wasn't an extraordinary person, he's just tried to do extraordinary things in his life for people. it was really wonderful seeing him in his last days and having

this memory that i will chir risch for ever as a native washingtonian. i remember him as a child coming to my elementary school in northeast d.c. at that time everyone in the school thought michael kerrington was there. he was such an icon to so many of us in the city. it was a pleasure interviewing him all these years. >> still a rock star. molette green sharing a very unique experience with us and our viewers this morning. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> we'll continue to stay on top of the breaking news this morning. marion barry has passed away.

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news 4's megan mrk grath joins us live from united medical center in southeast d.c. megan, i've been following yu and your posts online. it's just heartbreaking. seeing a lot of people praying there where you are. >> yes, friends and supporters all gathered at the hospital as word broke of marion barry's passing. they prayed. we saw them cry, saw them gather together and remember mr. barry.

people who spoke to marion barry in his final hours, they say there were no red flag. he seemed to be okay, that he was upbeat. his health took a turn for the worse in the overnight hours. marion barry, of course, had on going health problems in recent years, recent months and even in recent days. in fact, it was just saturday evening that he was released from howard university hospital after a two-day stay. after his release, though, he visited his son. he went for a bite to eat after that and he was returning home when he collapsed. it happened outside, we're told his driver got him inside, called 911 and that's when he was brought by ambulance here to the united medical center which is also a hospital that he fought very hard to keep open. now, family, friends and supporters gathered here at the hospital. we've been talking to them all morning long. they've been explaining the impact marion barry has had on

their lives. >> he said always be a fighter, never give up, always forgive. i couldn't understand that. he said you have to forgive to move on. >> i'm very pleased to say that there is nothing that barry wouldn't do to support us in ward 8 and in this entire city. >> reporter: at this point there's no word on funeral arrangements. back to you in the studio. >> thanks so much, megan. >> w

we continue our coverage of the loss of a political icon here in the washington area. marion barry has died at the age of 78. all month long we have been picking the brain of a man covering him for decades, a wealth of knowledge, not only on a professional level, but on a personal level. you have been following him for over 30 years. this is a guy, the good, the bad, the ugly, you saw it all. >> he fussed at me on a number of things. when hairy and i wrote our book "dream city," marion barry, i said are you going to read it, mr. mayor? he said give me a copy. i said what are you going to do with it? he said, i'm going to three it in the trash. when he had his own book, i said i'll have to throw it in the trash. but it was very personable. people get angry about all the

things he did with his taxes, the drug abuse stuff, i said if you got him in a room at your dining table and you talk to him, before you leave the dinner, he will be on your side and you'll be on his side. he was a remarkable charismatic person. >> and honest. >> he had issues with honesty. he was a real human being, not a caricature of a person. a real human being, terrible flaws, all of them personal issues. he did so much for the city to open it up to the way it is now. >> you can still see the fingerprint of what

good morning. breaking overnight. marion barry has died. former mayor of washington d.c. passes away at age of 78. we'll look at the controversial local mayor that became a national figure. from bad to worse. major flooding concerns as temperatures heat up in the buffalo area melting mountains of snow. across the south, millions are em bracing for severe weather today. a university suspend voerties and fraternities after allegations of sexual abuse. this morning the university president vowing swift