Rush Limbaugh reacts after first Lady Melania Trump presented him with the the Presidential Medal of Freedom as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Second lady Karen Pence is at left and Kathryn Limbaugh is partially hidden. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Longtime conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer.
“We, the Limbaugh family, are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Rush has died,” Limbaugh’s wife Kathryn wrote on Facebook.
“Rush Hudson Limbaugh III will forever be the greatest of all time, a courageous, brilliant gentle giant and radio pioneer. Our entire family is so thankful to everyone who prayed and cared for Rush, especially the audience he adored. Rush’s love for our country, and for all of you, will live on eternally.”
Last February, Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during the State of the Union address.
Limbaugh announced his cancer diagnosis shortly before attending the 2020 State of the Union. Later, in October, he told listeners of “The Rush Limbaugh Show” his diagnosis had worsened.
“The scans did show some progression of cancer,” he told listeners at the time.
“Over the years, a lot of people have been very nice telling me how much this program has meant to them,” Limbaugh said. “But whatever that is, it pales in comparison to what you all have meant to me.
“And I can’t, I can’t describe this, but, you know, I know that you’re there every day. I can see you… and I know that you understand everything I say. The rest of the world may not when they hear it expressed a different way, but I know that you do.”