Rush Limbaugh, Conservative Icon, Dies at Age 70

Rest in peace, Rush.

There will never be another one like you.

The radio talk show conservative giant has died at at 70.

He has been battling cancer for the last year.

President Trump honored Rush with the Medal of Freedom during his 2020 State of the Union address.

There will never be another Rush Limbaugh. He was a patriot who fought for freedom and liberty every day and influenced millions. Many joined the conservative movement because of his voice.

Rest peacefully, El Rushbo. There’s a golden microphone waiting for you in Heaven. pic.twitter.com/PozAdmRMg1

— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) February 17, 2021

Rush Limbaugh has died.

— Gravel Institute (@GravelInstitute) February 17, 2021

So sad to hear of the passing of Rush Limbaugh. He was a legend.

— Kambree (@KamVTV) February 17, 2021

I pray Rush Limbaugh is resting in the arms of Jesus. What a man. What a conservative. What an example of making the most of God’s gifts to serve your fellow man & country. A truly sad day for our country. ❤️💔🇺🇸

— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) February 17, 2021

Despite having cancer and ongoing cancer treatments, Rush Limbaugh was committed to his audience.

He still went on air to talk to the American people about the Conservative cause.

Fox News has more on this legendary man:

“The Rush Limbaugh Show” debuted on August 1, 1988 on a handful of AM radio stations across the country. In the more than 30 years since, there have been many memorable moments and a few long-running gags that helped make the show – and its host – popular among a wide swath of the population.

Many years, Limbaugh, who died Wednesday at age 70, would reminisce each Aug. 1 about his first program and how the show had grown. On Aug. 1, 2017, Mike from Plymouth Meeting, Pa., called into the program to offer his own memory of that very first show.

“I caught you on your very first broadcast on [WABC] radio station AM 770. My wife and I were on our way to the Jersey Shore. I heard you talking, and I said to my wife, “What did he say his name was?” Mike recalled. “And she said, ‘I think he said ‘Rush.’’ And I said, ‘Man, I don’t know who he is, but I sure like what he’s saying. He’s saying what I’m thinking,’ and I’ve been listening ever since.”

Many callers to the show had stories just like Mike’s, offering Limbaugh “mega-dittos” – a spin on Limbaugh’s “DittoHead” nickname for listeners who agree with him – about how Limbaugh drew them into his program with a combination of humor and politics, and at times helped broaden their worldview.

Limbaugh recalled at the time how his first show was broadcast from that Manhattan radio station’s studios on a particularly hot summer day. He later moved his operation to Palm Beach, Fla., where many more hot days would be had.

Over the years, Limbaugh’s penchant for injecting humor into politics often took the form of “parody” songs, with callers later requesting old parodies they hadn’t heard in a while. As with much of Limbaugh’s humor, it was often done in a faux-righteous, self-deprecating way:

One oft-requested song was “Thank The Lord Rush Limbaugh’s On,” by the fictitious “Rush Hawkins Singers. The name was a take on the 1960s gospel group “The Edwin Hawkins Singers,” popular for such hymns as “O Happy Day!

“You hear him every day on the EIB/Talent from God/He likes to tease Bill and Hillary/Talent from God/You love every word that he says, the liberal left is nearly dead, come and join me DittoHeads/Talent From God,” the song went in a snappy, syncopated time with a Gospel choir singing the response line throughout.

“Talent on loan from God,” and “…with half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair” were comments Limbaugh would routinely make in jest about himself when returning from commercial breaks.

With the help of satirist Paul Shanklin, Limbaugh employed several other “parody” songs, including a jab at President Barack Obama with “Every Cent You Make (I’ll Be Taxing You)” — a spoof of The Police hit “Every Breath You Take” – and “Bomb Iran”, a jab at the neoconservative foreign policy of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and a play on the Beach Boys tune “Barbara Ann.”

Limbaugh is often singularly credited with “creating” talk radio and paving the road of success for media giants such as Fox News.

Limbaugh was a beacon before there were any conservative alternatives to the mainstream media.

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1362090309732229120

https://twitter.com/thecjpearson/status/1362089824270843904

So sad to see the death of Rush Limbaugh, he was a conservative radio phenomenon for decades and gave the silent majority a voice.

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) February 17, 2021

A true American giant has left us.

Rest In Peace, Rush Limbaugh. pic.twitter.com/4zVSxzZf4o

— Boris Epshteyn (@BorisEP) February 17, 2021

Rest in peace Rush Limbaugh. Condolences and prayers for his family. An absolute legend. 🇺🇸

— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) February 17, 2021

May you rest in peace, Rush.

Your memory, words, and conviction have forever changed us and therefore the world.

Thank you for your service.

And thank you for being you.

There will never be another like you.