Radio
talk show host Rush Limbaugh gestures as he makes remarks at the National
Association of Broadcasters October 2, 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) - Limbaugh was known as the conservative talk radio pioneer.
Kathryn Limbaugh says Rush will 'forever be the greatest
of all time' in a message to listeners.
Limbaugh died Wednesday at 70 years old from
complications of lung cancer. He first learned of his cancer diagnosis in
Jan. 2020. Former President Donald Trump awarded the
radio host the Presidential Medal of Freedom shortly thereafter during his
State of the Union Address.
"I, like you, very much wish Rush was behind this
golden microphone right now welcoming you to another exceptional three hours of
broadcasting," Limbaugh's wife, Kathryn, said on his show Wednesday. "For over 32 years,
Rush has cherished you, his loyal audience, and always looked forward to every
single show. 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 continued. "Rush was
an extraordinary man. A gentle giant. Brilliant, quick-witted, genuinely kind,
extremely generous, passionate, courageous, and the hardest-working person I
know."
In December, Limbaugh opened up his final broadcast of
2020 by thanking his listeners and supporters for supporting him throughout his
career and his health struggle.
"My point in all of this today is gratitude,"
he said at the time. "My point in all of this is to say thanks and tell
everybody involved how much I love you from the bottom of a sizable and growing
and still-beating heart."
Limbaugh was known for his bellicose and
blustering on-air persona, but he's been widely praised for his kindness
to others when not behind a microphone, including by his wife Wednesday
"Despite being one of the most recognized, powerful
people in the world, Rush never let the success change his core or
beliefs," Kathryn Limbaugh said. "He was polite and respectful
to everyone he met. Even most recently when he was not feeling well in the
hospital, he was so appreciative to every single doctor and nurse and
custodian."
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this
report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/wife-statement-rush-limbaugh-dead
