NEIL: ALREADY, WELL RUSH
LIMBAUGH KNEW THIS DAY WAS
COMING.
IT HAS COME.
HE HAS SUCCUMBED TO THE STAGE
FOUR LUNG CANCER.
HE HAS BEEN BATTLING IT MORE
THAN A YEAR RIGHT NOW.
HE HAD BEEN MISSING HIS SHOW AND
ONLY IN RECENT WEEKS HERE,
SOMETHING THAT THROUGH THE WORST
OF HIS TREATMENT FOR THIS
HORRIBLE DISEASE HE HAD MANAGED
TO MAKE IT THROUGH AND PROVIDE A
PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE AN ICONIC
FIGURE IN THE CONSERVATIVE
MOVEMENT, BUT ICONIC FIGURE IN
THE MEDIA PERIOD.
SOMEONE WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY
CHANGED THE VIEW OF HOW ONE
INDIVIDUAL CAN CHANGE PEOPLE’S
PERCEPTION AFTER CAUSE,
CONSERVATISM.
AND YET THE PRAISE IS MUTUALLY
COMING FROM THE LEFT AND THE
RIGHT.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK BACK AT RUSH
LIMBAUGH’S INCREDIBLE CAREER AND
LIFE AND IMPACT THAT EXISTS TO
THIS DAY.
TRACE GALLAGHER LOOKS BACK.
>> I THINK PEOPLE LISTEN TO THE
RADIO FOR THREE REASONS, BE
ENTERTAINED, BE ENTERTAINED,
ENTERTAINED.
>> AVID LISTENERS WERE
ENTERTAINED WHEN THEY TUNED INTO
RUSH LIMBAUGH.
ARGUABLY THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
MAN ON THE RADIO.
LISTENED BY 20 MILLION LISTENERS
EACH DAY, BROADCAST MORE THAN
650 AFFILIATES MADE HIM ONE OF
THE WELL-KNOWN VOICES FOR GRASS
ROOT COULD CONSERVATIVES AN A
TARGET OF CRITICISM BY THE LEFT.
LONG BEFORE HE WAS A HOUSEHOLD
NAME, LIMBAUGH CALLING HIMSELF
RUSTY SHARP, PLAYED RECORD ON
LOCAL RADIO.
>> I WAS 16, WHEN I STARTED TO
BE A DEEJAY.
>> LIMBAUGH A COLLEGE DROPOUT
MOVED TO LARGER MARKETS, BUT
STRUGGLED TO FINE ACCEPTANCE FOR
HIS ON AIR POLITICAL COMMENTARY.
THAT ALL CHANGED IN 1987 WHEN
THE FCC REPEALED A LAW REQUIRING
EQUAL AIRTIME FOR OPPOSING
POLITICAL VIEWS.
THAT ALLOWED STATIONS TO LEGALLY
AIR LIMBAUGH’S PERSPECTIVE
WITHOUT OFFERING ANOTHER
OPINION.
LIMBAUGH WAS SOON BROADCASTING
NATIONWIDE.
>> RUSH LIMBAUGH WITH TALENT ON
LOAN FROM GOD.
>> LIMBAUGH’S SYNDICATED RADIO
SHOW BECAME ONE OF THE MOST
HIGHLY RAIDED PROGRAMS IN THE
COUNTRY THOUGH SHARING ECONOMIES
CONTOUCH TIFF VIEWS WERE AFTER
AFFECTIONATE ALLY CALLED
DITTOHEADS.
HE WOULD GO FROM AN ENTERTAINER
TO MIDDABLE FORCE.
>> I AM DANGEROUS BECAUSE I AM
RIGHT AS CORRECT.
AND I’M HAVING A GOOD TIME BEING
RIGHT.
>> HIS HUGE SUCCESS ON RADIO LED
TO A TV SHOW AND SEVEN BOOKS.
HIS FIRST TITLED, THE WAY THINGS
OUGHT TO BE.
IN 1995 HE MADE THE COVER OF
"TIME" MAGAZINE.
THEN IN 2001, LIMBAUGH SHOCKED
LISTENERS TELLING THEM HE WAS
ALMOST DEAF.
>> I THINK THE RIGHT SIDE
HEARING AID, I DO NOT HEAR A
SINGLE THING.
>> AN IMPLANT HELPED TO RESTORE
HIS HEARING.
TWO YEARS LATER, ANOTHER
UNEXPECTED ANNOUNCEMENT.
>> YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE ALWAYS
TRIED TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
>> LIMBAUGH ADMITTED HE WAS
ADDICTED TO PAINKILLERS WHICH HE
WAS TAKING FOR BACK PAIN.
>> IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS
BROADCAST, I WILL CHECK MYSELF
INTO A TREATMENT CENTER FOR THE
NEXT 30 DAYS.
>> IN 2009 LIMBAUGH ALSO
ATTRACTED A ATTENTION NOT FOR
WHAT HE SAID BUT BECAUSE OF THE
WAY HE LOOKED, LOSING 90-POUNDS
IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS.
THEN IN FEBRUARY 2020, LIMBAUGH
REVEALED THAT HE WAS FIGHTING
ADVANCED LUNG CANCER.
>> I THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING TO DO
THIS WITHOUT ANYBODY KNOWING
BECAUSE I DON’T, LIKE MAKING
THINGS ABOUT ME.
BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE DAYS
THAT I’M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
BE HERE.
>> LIMBAUGH HAD PUBLICLY SAID HE
STARTED SMOKING CIGARETTES AS A
TEENAGER BUT SAID HE QUIT BY THE
EARLY 80s.
BUT STILL HE WAS OFTEN
PHOTOGRAPHED SMOKING A CIGAR.
EVEN QUESTIONED THE LINK BETWEEN
SMOKING AND CANCER?
>> THEY SAY OUR GOVERNMENT, ONE
PUFF, FROM ONE CIGARETTE CAN
KILL YOU, IF THIS IS TRUE, THEY
SHOULD MAKE A SCARY MOVIE OUT OF
THIS.
>> LIMBAUGH NEVER HAD CHILDREN
BUT WAS MARRIED FOUR TIMES.
PERHAPS HIS GREATEST LIFELONG
WAS RADIO.
A LONG TIME PERSONAL FRIEND OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S THERE WAS THIS
STATE OF THE UNION FIRST.
>> I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
TONIGHT THAT YOU WILL BE
RECEIVING OUR COUNTRY’S HIGHEST
CIVILIAN HONOR, THE PRESIDENTIAL
MEDAL OF FREEDOM.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> THE PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGING
THE RADIO SHOW HOST FOR
INSPIRING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE A
DAY.
>> I’M GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENED.
THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL
FOR ESPECIALLY WHEN RIGHT IN
FRONT OF YOU IS THE PROSPECT OF
IT BEING TAKEN AWAY.
AND IT JUST AMPS UP THE
APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF THE
GOODNESS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR
LIFE.
>> ONE THING BOTH DETRACTORS AND
DITTOHEADS CAN AGREE UPON, RUSH
LIMBAUGH THE MAN WHO ONCE
CLAIMED TO HAVE TALENT ON LOAN