Rush Limbaugh, the conservative host who has defined political talk radio for more than 30 years, is dead. His wife Kathryn announced his passing at the start of his program today. He was 70 years old. Limbaugh, who announced that he had lung cancer last year, died this morning at his home in Florida. Best known as the host of the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh was the author of seven books and hosted a national television show in the 1990s. During last year’s State of the Union address he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump. Born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Limbaugh started his career as a disc jockey in 1971, and, after working at several local radio stations, he began broadcasting nationally in 1988. Limbaugh has been a prominent voice for American conservatives since the 1990s, and, despite numerous controversies, he was able to maintain the largest audience in radio.