The student reporter who managed to score a sit-down interview at the age of 11 with then-President Barack Obama\u00a0in 2009 has died at 23, his family announced.<\/p>\n
Damon Weaver won America\u2019s heart when the young journalist fired off several questions for Obama during his 10-minute interview in the White House Diplomatic Room. Weaver asked Obama if he got \u201cbullied a lot.\u201d Obama said he just tries to good job and that \u201ckeeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaver also asked if Obama would be willing to play Miami Heat hoops star Dwayne Wade one-on-one. Obama said he\u2019d be willing, even though Wade is a \u201clittle bit better at basketball than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thanked the president for \u201cmaking my dream come true.\u201d Weaver asked Obama to become his \u201chomeboy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaver, a native of Pahokee, Florida, became the youngest person to interview a sitting president.<\/p>\n
Weaver died May 1 of natural causes, his sister Candace Hardy told The Palm Beach Post. He was studying communications at Georgia\u2019s Albany State University to fulfill his dream of becoming a sports journalist, and was looking forward to returning to school in the fall, according to Hardy.<\/p>\n
She called her brother\u2019s interview with Obama \u201clife-changing for him,\u201d adding that it was a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her brother was an inspiration for other children.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people looked up to him,\u201d\u00a0she told the Post. \u201cWith him being so young, he made a way for more students to engage in journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described her brother as\u00a0\u201cjust a nice person, genuine, very intelligent.\u201d He was a \u201cball of light with so much energy.\u00a0He was always a joy to be around. He left an impact on a lot of people,\u201d Hardy said.<\/p>\n
On an earlier trip to Washington, D.C., Weaver also interviewed Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Tucker\u00a0and LL Cool J.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to interview a lot of famous people, and also I got to be on the red carpet,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought that was cool.\u201d<\/p>\n