Limbaugh, highly influential conservative radio host, dies at 70

Rush Limbaugh, the controversial and widely influential conservative radio personality, author and former television host who amassed tens of millions of listeners and was, at his peak, the most-listened to radio show host in the nation, has died, his wife confirmed Wednesday on his radio show.

Limbaugh, who last broadcast Feb. 2, died of lung cancer. He was 70.

“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. And the hardest-working person I know,” Kathryn Limbaugh said.

She added: “Rush encouraged so many of us to think for ourselves. To learn and to lead. He often said it did not matter where you started or what you look like, as Americans we all have endless opportunities like nowhere else in the world.”

“In loving memory of Rush Hudson Limbaugh II — the greatest of all time,” was posted