Feb. 17, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Conservative media-icon Rush Limbaugh has died at age 70.
News of Limbaugh’s passing was first reported by his wife Kathryn during his radio show Wednesday.
“I know that I am most certainly not the Limbaugh you tuned in to listen to today,” she said. “I, like you, very much Rush was behind this golden microphone right now, welcoming you to another exceptional three hours of broadcasting. It is with profound sadness I must share with you directly that our beloved Rush, my wonderful husband, passed away this morning due to complications from lung cancer.
“As so many of you know, losing a loved one is terribly difficult, even more so when that loved one is larger than life. Rush will forever be the greatest of all time,” she said.
The controversial talk-host was first diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2020, but continued with his show until just a couple of weeks ago. Late last fall Limbaugh announced the disease had progressed and he realized he was battling a terminal illness.
Limbaugh was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2020.
The nationally syndicated “Rush Limbaugh Show” had been on the air for 32 years. His show first rose to prominence during his stint with a Sacramento radio station, where the unabashed host ridiculed left wing politicians and left-leaning causes. The wildly popular show gained traction with conservative audiences across the U.S., turning the Missouri-born Limbaugh into a multi-millionaire.
Donald Trump paid tribute to Limbaugh in a call to Fox News Wednesday saying, “He was a fantastic man, a fantastic talent, and people, whether they loved him or not, they respected him, they really did.”
