WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: Radio personality Rush Limbaugh sits in the First Lady's box ahead of the State of the Union address in the chamber of the US House of Representatives on February 04, 2020 in Washington, DC.
President Trump delivers his third State of the Union to the nation the night before the US Senate is set to vote in his impeachment trial.
(Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
(CNN) -
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative media icon who for decades used his position as the king of talk radio to shape the politics of both the Republican Party and the nation, died Wednesday after a battle with cancer.
He was 70 years old.
Limbaugh announced in February 2020 that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.
Limbaugh continued to host his show while undergoing treatment, telling listeners that he was hopeful of beating the disease.
Limbaugh was a pioneer in AM broadcasting and for 32 years he hosted "The Rush Limbaugh Show," a nationally syndicated program with millions of loyal listeners that transfigured him into a partisan force and polarizing figure in American politics.
In many ways, his radio show was like the big bang of the conservative media universe.
"TheRush Limbaugh Show" helped popularize the political talk radio format and ushered in a generation of conservative infotainment.
Rush Limbaugh
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