Rush Limbaugh, highly influential conservative radio host, dies at 70

Rush Limbaugh speaks during his induction into the Hall of Famous Missourians at the state Capitol in Jefferson City in May 2012. The GOP had just taken back the chamber for the first time in decades and Newt Gingrich, then speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was so indebted to the fiery conservative radio personality that he and other Republicans called themselves the “Limbaugh Congress.” Limbaugh, the speaker said, had given them the courage to “take back our country.” Though advertisers occasionally fled and even political allies winced when he went on an unfiltered tirade, Limbaugh remained a sure-fire friend of the American right, and listeners faithfully heeded his advice and political gospel over the decades. Limbaugh first broadcast the nationally syndicated “The Rush Limbaugh Show” in 1988 and quickly exploded onto radio stations. In 2012, Limbaugh came under fire for calling an activist law student a “slut” and “prostitute.” The furor began when Limbaugh was addressing then-President Obama’s suggestion that birth control be provided free of charge. He just didn’t seem interested in anything except radio.” His father, Limbaugh said, never took his career in radio seriously until he saw his son on ABC’s “Nightline.” In his later years, Limbaugh struggled with health issues.