Don Imus Dead; Longtime Iconic Radio Host Was 79

NEW YORK — Legendary radio talk show host Don Imus, whose combative style and acerbic wit helped propel him to the top of New York radio, died Friday at age 79.

Popularly known as just “Imus,” he died Friday morning after having been hospitalized Christmas Eve at the Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, the family said in a statement.

“Shocking news on the passing of my friend, Don Imus,” radio host Mike Francesa tweeted. “He will long be remembered as one of the true giants in the history of radio.”

Imus’ popular radio show, “Imus in the Morning,” aired from June 1, 1968, until March 29, 2018. His show created a template that paved the way for people ranging from Howard Stern to Joe Scarborough whose “Morning Joe” show took Imus’s place on MSNBC.

“Turn out the lights,” Imus tweeted when he announced his last show would air in March 2018. “The party’s over.”

During his career, he received acclaim for his charity work as well as scorn for his comments about the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University.

Imus told a reporter that he didn’t have many regrets in his career but that the Rutgers incident was as close to one as he ever had.

“Mostly, I said what I was thinking,” he said. “It may not have always worked out.”

Imus had an almost 50-year career – from his first radio job in Palmdale, California, to Cleveland, where he was named disc jockey of the year in 1970, to his years in New York, working at WNBC, WABC, and WFAN where he became a superstar.

He would later admit it was not always such a great thing, fighting alcoholism and cocaine addiction at different times.

Imus was also never shy about saying what was on his mind. It was not something that always went his way.

He called Oprah a “fat phony” and, in 2007, the members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team were “nappy-headed hos.”

It was a comment that almost ended his career, with the Rev. Al Sharpton leading protests and boycotts against Imus and his advertisers.

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey

Then-senator Barack Obama said that Imus “not only crossed the line, he fed into some of the worst stereotypes.”

While Imus eventually met with the team and apologized, it was not enough to save his show. CBS Radio canceled his show as did MSNBC, which had been simulcasting the show.

The banishment was short lived. Eight months later, he was back on the radio – WABC, this time – and television.

“Dick Cheney is still a war criminal,” he said in his first show back. “Hillary Clinton is still Satan. And I’m back on the radio.”

His most well-known venture in charity was the Imus Ranch in Ribera, NM, a 3,400-acre facility where provided cowboy experiences for kids battling cancer as well as for kids who had lost a brother or sister.

Imus sold the ranch in 2014 after he fell and broke a hip. Much of the roughly $12 million from the sale was distributed to similar nonprofit organizations.

Imus was born in Palmdale, CA, in 1940. Along with his brother, Fred – who would later be a regular guest on Imus’ radio shows – Don Imus was raised in Arizona.

A spokesman for Imus’ family, Matthew Hiltzik, tells Patch that they will hold a small private service in the coming days.

He also said the family asks that any donations be made to the Imus Ranch Foundation, which continues to provide resources to other charities that support families of children suffering from cancer and other illnesses.

It was at the ranch that Imus met a 10 year old kid battling leukemia, Zachary Cates. Imus and his wife would eventually adopt Zach. That kid, who beat leukemia, is now Lt. Zachary Don Cates.