American right-wing radio personality Rush Limbaugh has died aged 70, his wife has confirmed.
The conservative media star died on Wednesday after a battle with stage four lung cancer, having learned he was suffering from the disease in January of last year.
On Wednesday morning, Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn Limbaugh, shared a message with listeners on her husband’s show, announcing his death.
In the statement, she said: “Rush will forever be the greatest of all time. Rush was an extraordinary man.
“A gentle giant. Brilliant, quick-witted, genuinely kind. Extremely generous. Passionate. Courageous.”
Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn Limbaugh, confirmed his death on Wednesday morning (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
She added: “And the hardest working person I know.”
His radio broadcast, “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” first aired in 1988, becoming one of the most popular shows on US radio over the next three decades.
A staunch conservative, Limbaugh’s views were often polarizing, but he was considered one of the most influential media figures in the US.
After his cancer diagnosis last year, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump at the State of the Union address.
American right-wing radio personality Rush Limbaugh has died aged 70 (Image: Getty Images)
In his final radio broadcast of 2020, Limbaugh spoke about his mortality, revealing he initially feared he wouldn’t live until the end of the year.
He told listeners: “I wasn’t expected to be alive today.
“I wasn’t expected to make it to October, and then to November, and then to December. And yet, here I am, and today, got some problems, but I’m feeling pretty good today.”
Authoring seven books and hosting a national television show in the mid-90s, he quickly became one of the leading figures of the conservative movement.
Limbaugh is survived by his fourth wife Kathryn (Image: Getty Images)
While Limbaugh enjoyed acclaim throughout his career, he was also at the heart of a number of controversies, famously accusing Michael J Fox of exaggerating the symptoms of his Parkinson’s disease in 2006.
Some of his views on subjects like race, feminism, consent and issues surrounding the LGBT community were also met by condemnation.
When news of his death broke, tributes flooded in from political figures and fellow members of the conservative media in the US, paying tribute to Limbaugh’s life.
Married four times, Limbaugh is survived by his fourth wife, Kathryn, whom he wed in 2010.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
