- More from Famously...
- Famous Arrests
- Famous Scandals
- Famous Brands
View information about Rush Limbaugh's death here on famously-dead.com. You can view information about Rush Limbaugh's death and other famous deaths. You can view by name or by cause of death. We also have included the most popular famous deaths.
Rush Limbaugh's Death
- Rush Limbaugh
- Radio, TV, Political Commentary
- January 12, 1951
- February 17, 2021
- Cancer
The life and death of Rush Limbaugh:
To call him a pioneering media giant only begins to tell part of his story - for he not only revived AM radio in the United States, but he also recast the talk radio format and, in the process, became the voice of the Conservative political movement in the America. Millions listened to him on the radio, but he was reviled by nearly as many people for his oftentimes provocative comments.
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in Cape Girardeau Missouri. His mother was Mildred Armstrong Limbaugh. His dad had the same name as he did, only was the second, who was named after his father. The name Rush was intended to honor the maiden name of another family member.
He was of German ancestry and his family tree had many lawyers, including an uncle named Stephen was who a Federal Judge in Missouri.
He graduated his local high school in 1969…
…and from the age of 16 worked at a local radio station KGMO, with the air name Rusty Sharpe. He later cited the famous Chicago radio morning man, Larry Lujack, as having a major influence on his radio style.
He dropped out of college in February 1971 to work at WIXZ in McKeesport, Pennsylvania but was let go after a disagreement with his program director boss.
From there he did night work at KQV in Pittsburgh but was squeezed out by new management.
In between, he worked in group sales for the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball teams but then he returned to his first love: radio. A year long stint in Kansas City (fired again) he landed a talk show at KFBK in Sacramento California.
The FCC Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987 and Rush started making waves, hitting the big-time in 1988 with a midday talk program on WABC in New York.
He remained with the station until 2014 – broadcasting from his Florida home – and moved to WOR in New York in 2014.
Rush’s program was syndicated across the United States and he spoke in very uncertain terms about where the United States stood politically and was really the only conservative voice in the media.
Others soon followed in his footsteps and Rush Limbaugh went along not only to become fabulously wealthy (an estimated net worth of six hundred million dollars in the year that he died) but he also gained a large following with four seasons on a national TV show from 1992 to 1996.…
…though he was never as successful on TV as he was on radio.
Critical of President Bill Clinton, he was being credited with helping the Republicans claim the House of Representatives in midterm elections during the Clinton years and then later was the driving force behind Donald Trump -- after finally being convinced that Trump was the man to lead the Republicans.
Some Presidents, Like Trump….
and both Presidents Bush…
…admired his work.
Democrats, not so much.
He riled half the county with his blunt commentary he made over the years on race, gay rights, feminism, climate change and sexual consent. He had to apologize for some of his comments, like he called law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute”
President Obama was not a Rush fan, especially when he said this after the Sandra Fluke controversy
On the day he died, however, Limbaugh was praised by Donald Trump.
Rush complained about being deaf in 2001, although much of his hearing was restored with a cochlear implant in 2001.
And in 2003, Limbaugh admitted to being addicted to painkillers for a while.
Rush was married four times, the first three ending in divorce. He did not have any children.
However, he is a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame…
…pictured here with Larry King, who died only a few weeks before.
Rush is also a member of the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame…was a five-time winner of Radio’s Marconi Award and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump at his State of The Union address in 2020, pictured here with First Lady Melania Trump.
That award came the day after Rush revealed he was diagnosed with advanced Lung Cancer.
Limbaugh was well-known as a cigar smoker…
He remained on the radio for over a year after his cancer diagnosis
But although at times in his younger days Ruch questioned the link between smoking and cancer, he died from his illness at the age of 70 in Palm Beach Florida.