Longtime conservative commentator Lou Dobbs has died at age 78, former President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday.
“The Great Lou Dobbs has just passed away — A friend, and truly incredible journalist, reporter, and talent,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He understood the world, and what was ‘happening,’ better than others.”
Trump praised Dobbs as “unique in so many ways” and sent his condolences to the TV personality’s wife and the Dobbs family.
A short time later, an Instagram account tied to Dobbs confirmed the broadcaster’s death.
“It’s with a heavy heart we announce the passing of ‘The Great Lou Dobbs,’” the message read, remembering him as “a great American” and “a fighter till the very end.”
A cause of death was not reported.
The former president’s Truth Social post appeared to be the first announcement of the death of Dobbs, who spent nearly 30 years at CNN and a decade on the Fox Business Network.
Dobbs was a loyal Trump supporter known to promote conspiracy theories. His tenure with the Fox family ended in 2021 when “Lou Dobbs Tonight” was canceled in the throes of two defamation lawsuits filed by voting technologies companies against Fox News Network, which also named Dobbs.
Sources indicated at the time the lawsuits from Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems weren’t solely to blame for Dobbs’ severance from the right-wing media operation and that the decision had been under consideration before the legal issues arose.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lou Dobbs,” a spokesperson for Fox News Media said in a statement to the Daily News. “An incredible business mind with a gift for broadcasting, Lou helped pioneer cable news into a successful and influential industry. We are immensely grateful for his many contributions and send our heartfelt condolences to his family.”
Former Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera remembered his former associate in a note on social media.
“RIP Lou Dobbs, a pioneer in business journalism,” Rivera wrote Thursday. “Sincere condolences to wife Debi and family.”
Dobbs, a Texas native who attended Harvard University, was with CNN at the cable news channel’s inception in 1980. He resigned in 1999 but rejoined the network in 2001, before leaving again in 2009.
“Lou Dobbs Tonight” debuted on Fox Business in 2011, and went on to become the network’s highest-rated program.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented Dobbs with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2005.
From 2021 until his death, Dobbs hosted “The Great America Show” on iHeartRadio.
He is survived by his wife, former CNN sports anchor Debi Segura, and their four children.
Originally Published:
