Rush Limbaugh has died.
His wife Kathryn Limbaugh began the daily Rush Limbaugh today, with an announcement that Limbaugh had passed away. (Listen here.)
His website has the headline “In loving memory of Rush Hudson Limbaugh III, the greatest of all time.”
The conservative talk radio icon had been suffering from lung cancer, which he announced early last year.
His death brings to an end a remarkable chapter in media and politics.
Widely admired and widely reviled, Limbaugh is acknowledged to have been one of the most influential personalities not only in radio but all of media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Fans use terms like “radio revolutionary” and “doctor of democracy” and noted his role in helping the Republican Party, as when it took control of the House of Representatives in 1994. They admired him for raising millions of dollars over three decades for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Scott Herman, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, called Limbaugh “one of our greatest benefactors and a spectacularly magnanimous member of our profession.”
Critics despised him for his reach and for his harsh commentary and provocative comments about political and cultural figures, and matters of race, feminism and climate change.
The National Association of Broadcasters issued a statement: “Rush Limbaugh was a trailblazer on broadcast radio who brought a vast listenership to radio in general and to the AM band in particular. NAB extends condolences to his family, friends and the millions of listeners who will miss his unique presence on radio.”
He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993 and the NAB Hall of Fame in 1998, in addition to receiving multiple Marconi Awards for “Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year.”
Many people in radio also consider Limbaugh to have been something of a savior of the AM band in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, or at least that he gave the band years of new relevance after its decline as a popular source of music.
The National Association of Broadcasters issued a statement: “Rush Limbaugh was a trailblazer on broadcast radio who brought a vast listenership to radio in general and to the AM band in particular. NAB extends condolences to his family, friends and the millions of listeners who will miss his unique presence on radio.”
And in the Trump era, a 2018 profile in Politico noted, “If Limbaugh has been overshadowed lately by Hannity and Fox, the legendary radio host has come roaring back in recent days, driving a far-right furor that threatened to shut down the government. Longtime watchers of conservative media say that Limbaugh’s resurgence served as a reminder that, even if Fox News has become the center of Trump’s media world, Rush can still flex almost unparalleled power.”
He was also a very profitable business, exemplified for example in 2001 when he signed an eight-year, nine-figure with Premiere Radio Networks, which at the time called it the highest priced distribution deal “in the history of radio syndication.”
Limbaugh also made headlines for problems with deafness and opioid dependency.
Benztown has published an audio tribute, written and voiced by Bill Royal and produced by Tom Baker. Listen here.
Read a 2020 bio and profile of Limbaugh. And Fox News carried an on-air obituary narrated by Trace Gallagher.
