Officials said Georgia lawyer and legal analyst Page Pate drowned over the weekend while swimming.
He was 55.
Glynn County Fire-Rescue Acting Chief Vinnie DiCristofalo told CNN and The Brunswick News that Pate and his son were swimming on Sunday when they were swept out into a rip current off the coast of St. Simons Island.
Glynn County Coroner Marc Neu told the newspaper that Pate's son was unharmed after swimming back to shore, but his father had to be pulled from the water by a rescue crew.
Neu said Pate was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, the newspaper reported.
Pate had over 25 years of experience in both criminal defense and civil litigation, according to his law firm Pate, Johnson & Church's website.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Pate appeared in several media outlets as a legal contributor including The New York Times, CNN, and NPR, The Associated Press reported.