Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday lauded conservative icon Rush Limbaugh as a radio legend, declaring he “single-handedly” saved both AM and FM radio.
In an emotional telephone interview with Fox News colleague Harris Faulkner, Hannity said his longtime friend “did something nobody ever accomplished.”
“There is no talk radio as we know it without Rush Limbaugh. I’d even make the argument, there’s no Fox News or these other opinionated networks,” Hannity declared.
The political talk radio legend died Wednesday morning after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 70. His wife, Kathryn, made the announcement on his radio show.
Hannity noted that when Limbaugh started in nationally syndicated radio there were less than 200 stations across the country. Today, there are more than 4,000.
“He saved the AM band of radio single-handedly,” Hannity said, and then added the FM band, “he saved [that] too in so many ways.”
"You can never replace Babe Ruth, but I’d even take it a step further, [Limbaugh] was Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, and everyone in-between," Hannity said.
“The thing that defines him the most: He loved this country, he was a patriot,” Hannity continued. “He loved his family. He loved this life. What a life he led… we should all try to mirror what he’s done.”
Hannity told Faulkner he was looking through photos of Limbaugh, recounting “I’m very close to his family.”
“God, faith, family, country, he loved it, he lived it, he embodied it,” Hannity said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.