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Ted Koppel's Son Dead After Night of Drinking
nbcnewyork.com ^ | 06/01/2010 | Puppage

Posted on 06/01/2010 4:42:27 AM PDT by Puppage

The son of legendary TV newsman Ted Koppel died early Monday after a night of drinking that ended in the seedy Manhattan apartment of a pub crawl acquaintance.

Andrew Koppel, a 40-year-old attorney with the New York City Housing Authority with a history of alcohol problems, was declared dead around 1:30 a.m., according to the New York Post. Police sources told the newspaper Koppel had stumbled two and a half hours earlier into the Washington Heights apartment of Russell Wimberly, a waiter he had met 12 hours earlier in a Hell's Kitchen bar.

A roommate of Wimberly, Belinda Caban, told the Post Koppel was extremely drunk and that they put him to bed, only to find him dead hours later. Wimberly, 32, said they met at a bar on 44th St. and Ninth Ave., striking up a conversation after each noticed the other wearing a similar straw hat.

"He said, 'Nice hat, man,'" Wimberly told the Post. "We got to talking and he started buying me drinks."

Wimberly said Koppel drank straight whiskey, and when he suggested bar-hopping around the city, he sipped from a pint bottle of Jameson as they walked.

"There was a lot of alcohol," Wimberly told the Post.

Koppel was the third of the "Nightline" anchor's four children and their only son. In 1993, he was convicted of punching a senate aide and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment. In 1990, he was in an alcohol-related fender-bender in Maryland.


TOPICS: US: New York
KEYWORDS: abcnews; alcohol; alcoholism; bender; bingedrinking; binger; deaddrunk; koppel; nightline; tedkoppel
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Sad
1 posted on 06/01/2010 4:42:27 AM PDT by Puppage
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To: Puppage

Yes, sad. At least he didn’t take anyone with him.


2 posted on 06/01/2010 4:44:26 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: Puppage

A big holiday weekend and he’s picking up strangers in a bar.

Very sad indeed. Says a lot about family ties.


3 posted on 06/01/2010 4:46:17 AM PDT by Carley (DADDY DIDN'T PLUG THE HOLE YET)
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To: Puppage

Very sad.


4 posted on 06/01/2010 4:46:17 AM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: pieceofthepuzzle

He’s 40 and still doing this irresponsible crap?


5 posted on 06/01/2010 4:47:41 AM PDT by gthog61
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To: Puppage

What a tragedy! I had no idea Koppel was facing this in his personal life. Now he joins a sad club of celebrities whose children have died from drugs or booze or suicide...Fred Thompson’s daughter comes to mind


6 posted on 06/01/2010 4:48:51 AM PDT by silverleaf (Every time history repeats itself the price goes up)
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To: Puppage

I wonder if he had a wife and/or children?


7 posted on 06/01/2010 4:49:37 AM PDT by hennie pennie
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To: gthog61

Not anymore.


8 posted on 06/01/2010 4:49:54 AM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Carley

addicts don’t have “family ties”, they have their addictions and it happens to all kinds of families


9 posted on 06/01/2010 4:50:08 AM PDT by silverleaf (Every time history repeats itself the price goes up)
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To: gthog61

“He’s 40 and still doing this irresponsible crap?”

He was obviously an alcoholic. It’s a tragic waste of a life.


10 posted on 06/01/2010 4:50:20 AM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: Puppage

RIP. Condolences to the Koppel family.


11 posted on 06/01/2010 4:50:41 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Amber Lamps !"~~)
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To: hennie pennie

Sounds as if he didn’t. There’s an unspoken assumption in that article.


12 posted on 06/01/2010 4:51:39 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: Puppage

I’m very sorry. Prayer bump


13 posted on 06/01/2010 4:54:24 AM PDT by Tribune7 (It is immoral to claim the tea parties to be racist)
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To: Puppage

“they met at a bar on 44th St. and Ninth Ave”

Hubby used to work at a bar right there, serious drinkers only, please.

This is very sad for the Koppel family, they have my condolences.


14 posted on 06/01/2010 4:56:07 AM PDT by jocon307 (It's the spending, stupid.)
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To: hennie pennie

He lived with his girlfriend and baby daughter according to the NY Post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/koppel_son_LNjqoiEfi8DCtPkX0hxBNI


15 posted on 06/01/2010 4:56:10 AM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: Puppage

I feel for any parent that loses a child. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Koppel family.


16 posted on 06/01/2010 4:58:34 AM PDT by USArmySpouse
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To: Puppage

The progenny of celebrities and many times the celebrities themselves are out of control.

Look at Michael Douglas’s sons.

Look at Lindsay Lohan.

Look at Mel Gibson.

Look at Nick Nolte.

And they are only the tip of the iceberg.

Celebrities and their progency are mostly liberals and as such have this gross sense of entitlement, a feeling that they can do and say anything without any consequences, a feeling just like politicians that they are above the law and that they are so elitist that the laws do not apply to them.


17 posted on 06/01/2010 5:00:52 AM PDT by Ev Reeman
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To: Puppage

40 years old, and all he had was the bottle. How sad.


18 posted on 06/01/2010 5:01:05 AM PDT by Haiku Guy (Gov. Chris Christie (R) won the NJ-6 held by Rep. Frank Pallone (D) by a 15.5% margin!)
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To: gthog61

This is classic alcoholic binge drinking behavior. He was a full blown alcoholic in need of intervention. He is now a statistic. It is a shame. There are so many places to get help these days.


19 posted on 06/01/2010 5:01:46 AM PDT by oldironsides
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To: Carley

“A big holiday weekend and he’s picking up strangers in a bar.”

He’s picking up a male stranger in a bar and he’s already drunk by early afternoon.


20 posted on 06/01/2010 5:02:02 AM PDT by detective
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