Esteemed The New York Times media columnist David Carr collapsed and died Thursday night while he was at the newspaper's office. He was 58 years old.

Just hours before his body was discovered around 9 p.m. on Thursday, the veteran journalist hosted a Times Talk panel discussion featuring NSA leaker Edward Snowden, journalist Glenn Greenwald and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, The New York Times reports. He was later pronounced dead at Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.

"He was the finest media reporter of his generation, a remarkable and funny man who was one of the leaders of our newsroom," The New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet wrote in an email circulated to staff. "He was our biggest champion, and his unending passion for journalism and for truth will be missed by his family at The Times, by his readers around the world and by people who love journalism."

The New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. also released a statement, describing Carr as "one of the most gifted journalists who has ever worked at The New York Times."

"He combined formidable talent as a reporter with acute judgment to become an indispensable guide to modern media. But his friends at The Times and beyond will remember him as a unique human being -- full of life and energy, funny, loyal and lovable. An irreplaceable talent, he will be missed by everyone who works for The Times and everyone who reads it," Sulzberger said.

Carr was known for writing the Media Equation column, which appeared in the Monday business section and focused on "media as it intersects with business, culture and government," according to his biography on the paper's website. He also wrote for the paper's culture section and was featured in the 2011 "Page One: Inside The New York Times" documentary on the publication.

Carr began working at The New York Times in 2002 after working as a contributor to the Atlantic Monthly and New York magazine.

In 2008, he published a memoir, "The Night of the Gun," which highlighted his recovery from his addiction to crack cocaine in the 80s.

"I now inhabit a life I don't deserve, but we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn't end any time soon," he wrote at the end of his memoir, according to Reuters.

Carr is survived by his wife Jill Rooney Carr and his three children.