Longtime Fox News contributor and Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Krauthammer died on Thursday, June 21, after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
Fox News confirmed Krauthammer’s death nearly two weeks after he revealed in an emotional letter that his cancer had returned and he had just “weeks” to live.
“I have been uncharacteristically silent these past 10 months,” Krauthammer began in a note published by the Washington Post on June 8. “I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you that fate has decided on a different course for me.”
“In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it cased a cascade of secondary complications — which I have been fighting in hospital ever since,” he continued. “It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health … There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.”
Special Report anchor Bret Baier reacted to the news of his coworker and friend’s death on Twitter.
“R.I.P. good friend. I am sure you will be owning the panel discussion in heaven as well,” he tweeted. “And we’ll make sure your wise words and thoughts — your legacy — will live on here @krauthammer.”
Krauthammer was a conservative political commentator who appeared on various Fox News programs. He was also an author and analyst. He is survived by his wife, Robyn, and their adult son, Daniel.