CNBC host and economist Larry Kudlow is mourning the death of “a great man,” Bill Buckley — saying the conservative icon’s influence on him was “enormous.”
Following Buckley’s death on Wednesday, Ludlow — host of “Kudlow & Company” on the cable channel — wrote that when he heard the news, “I had to work hard to catch my breath and swallow the news. He was a great man. I am privileged and honored to have shared a part of his wonderful life over the past 15 years.”
Kudlow said that in the early to mid-1990s when he was on staff at Buckley’s National Review, “during the worst period in my personal life — Bill and [his wife] Pat were like surrogate parents. Later on things got better for me and I grew even closer to them. It was wonderful.
“At Pat’s memorial service in New York I cried with Bill as we embraced each other. So I am crying again right now at Bill’s passing.
“He encouraged me to become a Catholic. He encouraged me to stay sober. He encouraged me to keep writing columns. He encouraged me stick with my new career in broadcasting. Sometimes he would call, out of the blue, and tell me I was making good progress and that he was proud…
“Right now my biggest thought — apart from the sadness — is how blessed I am to have been a small part of his remarkable life. His influence on me was enormous.”
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