Rush Limbaugh, Controversial Icon Of Conservative Talk Radio, Dies At 70

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative political commentator who redefined American talk radio, died Wednesday at the age of 70.

Kathryn Limbaugh announced her husband’s death on his show, which had been running with a series of guest hosts while he was undergoing cancer treatment.

"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," she said.

Rise To Prominence: Limbaugh’s broadcasting career began in February 1971 when he was a 20-year-old college dropout who took a DJ gig on WIXZ in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He pinballed around different radio stations across the country over the years before gaining national public attention in 1988 as the host of his “Rush Limbaugh Show” on New York City’s WABC-AM, where he extolled the conservative agenda with a mix of bombastic sarcasm and sound bites of liberal political leaders.

Limbaugh’s three-hour weekday program “The Rush Limbaugh Show” reached a syndicated peak of 650 radio stations, and by 2018 he was earning a reported $84.5 million per year, making the world's second-highest-paid radio host. Only Howard Stern was earning more, albeit on satellite radio.

Limbaugh also hosted a television version of his radio program from 1992 to 1996 that was taped before a studio audience – the radio program had no live audience and rarely had in-studio guests, with Limbaugh relying on listeners calling in to share their opinions of the subjects being discussed. Limbaugh also authored several books and made guest appearances as himself on entertainment shows, including a voice performance as himself on the animated “Family Guy” series.

Fans And Critics: Limbaugh’s support of Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump and their respective policies endeared him with conservative voters, while his often-withering criticism of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and their supporters earned the wrath of the progressive movement and its supportive media outlets.

Limbaugh’s critics accused him of misogyny – he described feminists as “feminazis” – and many of his on-air comments about minority groups resulted in accusations of racism, homophobia and insensitivity to people with disabilities. Many of Limbaugh's shows included the host playing sound bites from his critics speaking about him in a derisive manner, to which he would respond with equal helpings of scorn and outrage.

Limbaugh spoke frankly about his personal health issues, including a prescription drug addiction that later led to his arrest for violating Florida law on so-called "doctor shopping" for pharmaceuticals (the charges were later dropped and the case was settled out of court). He also acknowledged a severe hearing loss that required cochlear implant surgery.

Honors: On Feb. 3, 2020, he announced that he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The following day, Limbaugh was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Trump’s State of the Union address. The presentation of the medal was not previously announced.

Earlier in his career, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Rush Limbaugh speaking with attendees at the 2019 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr.