“I know that I am most certainly not the Limbaugh that you tuned in to listen to today. I, like you, very much wish Rush was behind this golden microphone right now,” she said. “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.” Limbaugh had announced his diagnosis in February 2020. “I am extremely grateful to be able to come here to the studio and to maintain as much normalcy as possible,” he shared. The next day he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Trump’s State of the Union address. Like Alex Trebek who worked until just days before his death, Limbaugh’s last day on the air was on Feb. 2, 2021. In October, after announcing his cancer diagnosis, Limbaugh revealed that the cancer had progressed. However, despite his fatigue and treatment, he hoped to stay on the air and do his show. “Thank you so much for your overwhelming encouragement, support, and prayers out there,” he tweeted on his now-deleted account. “They absolutely work! Fear not, I plan to hang around a long time to continue to annoy the left.” Born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1951, his father, an attorney, was a U.S. fighter pilot who served in World War II. His mother worked as a secretary at Malden Air Force Base and was a professional singer. Limbaugh got his first radio job when he was 16 and worked at KGMO, a local station in Cape Girardeau. After two semesters at Southeast Missouri State University he dropped out to fulfill his passion for radio. As his mother told biographer Paul Colford, “He just didn’t seem interested in anything except radio.” Since 1988, he has been host of the nationally syndicated program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, on both AM and FM radio stations. “While he was brash, at times controversial, and always opinionated, he spoke his mind as a voice for millions of Americans and approached each day with gusto,” wrote President George W. Bush in a statement. “Rush Limbaugh was an indomitable spirit with a big heart, and he will be missed.” Next, Watch Alex Trebek’s Posthumous Plea for Kindness
