BREAKING: Andrew Breitbart, the conservative firebrand and web publisher, has died, according to his Big Government website.
In a brief post, the site said he died at age 43 of natural causes.
His death was confirmed to msnbc.com by the Los Angeles Coroner's Office.
Breitbart, in addition to publishing a number of websites devoted to repudiating what he saw as the liberal-dominated coverage of politics and culture, once served as an editor for the Drudge Report and helped Arianna Huffington launch the Huffington Post website.
One of Breitbart's notable efforts was the controversial investigations that led to the resignations of former Rep. Anthony Weiner and former Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod. Last year, Sherrod brought a legal action for defamation against Breitbart.