News spread fast and wide on Wednesday that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, 70, died after a year long battle with lung cancer.
Needless to say, Limbaugh’s supporters began posting condolences to the radio host, who used the airwaves to repeatedly disseminate violent, harmful rhetoric directed at minorities, women and the lgbtq community. Basically any topic that deserved nuance, education on the subject matter and reserve, Limbaugh routinely displayed the exact opposite.
That same energy of dismissiveness was applied to the news of Limbaugh’s passing, where many recounted his ignorance and hate. Black Twitter specifically dug deep and promptly ran back a variety of moments recounting Limbaugh’s racist, sexist, xenophobic rhetoric which continually harmed Black communities.
In Jan. 2020 Limbaugh, an avid cigar smoker, announced he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Limbaugh worked to fight the disease, but in October told his listeners that the cancer was terminal. In December Limbaugh hosted his last show, where he thanked his supporters. Limbaugh’s health was less than stellar, throughout the years he shared with listeners that he was once addicted to opiods, and also lost and restored his hearing.
Limbaugh is hailed by some as one of the leading voices of the modern day conservative movement, where he rose to prominence hosting “The Rush Limbaugh Show” for over 30 years. For years Limbaugh ranked high on the radio charts, while also serving as a mouthpiece for many of the ideologies carried out by groups like Amy Coulter, The Proud Boys, Diamond and Silk, and Candace Owens.
For his rhetoric he was awarded with honors and even inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
Prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection, Limbaugh was a natural supporter of the baseless claims regarding election fraud during the last presidential race.
In addition, Limbaugh held political authority in helping to elect controversial figures to public office, the last and most notable being Donald Trump. Throughout Trump’s campaign, Limbaugh voiced his support and in return, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom During Trump’s State of The Union speech, in what was one of Limbaugh’s last public appearances.