Legendary radio host Don Imus died Friday morning at the age of 79, his family announced.
Imus was hospitalized on Christmas Eve at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, and passed away three days later, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There was no cause of death given, but his family did release a statement. (RELATED: T. Boone Pickens Dies At Age 91)
Imus is survived by his wife Deirde, his sons Wyatt and Zachary, and his daughters Nadine, Ashley, Elizabeth, and Toni.
“Don loved and adored Deirdre, who unconditionally loved him back, loved spending his time watching Wyatt become a highly skilled, champion rodeo rider and calf roper, and loved and supported Zachary, who first met the Imus family at age 10 when he participated in the Imus Ranch program for kids with cancer, having battled and overcome leukemia, eventually becoming a member of the Imus family and Don and Deirdre’s second son,” the family said in a statement, according to the Reporter.
The radio personality passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas https://t.co/O885QPZzgr
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 27, 2019
Imus was involved in radio for half a century before retiring last year. Imus hosted “Imus in the Morning” for over three decades, and his show was simulcast on MSNBC for over a decade, before being taken off the air following widely criticized comments he made about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Imus’ final episode aired on Mar. 29, 2018 before he stepped down from WABC radio.
“We are deeply saddened to hear that legendary radio host Don Imus has passed away. Imus was on 77 WABC from 2007-2018 and spent over 40 years on the air in NYC,” WABC said Friday on Twitter. “Our thoughts are with Deirdre, Wyatt and his family.”