Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer died Thursday after a battle with cancer.
Last year, Krauthammer had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen, and it led to complications that have kept him hospitalized. He had been recovering but then the cancer came back, leading him to announce earlier this month that he did not have long to live. He was 68 years old.
In a note to readers on June 8, he wrote that his fight is over and he thanked his family, doctors, and colleagues and expressed satisfaction in what his life had been.
"I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking," he said. "I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny."
"I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life — full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended," he said in conclusion.
Krauthammer won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1987 for his columns in the Washington Post, and he had a popular syndicated column for years. He became a regular panelist on Fox News’ "Special Report" and earned the respect of viewers and readers alike.
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said there’s "no greater master of the form" than Krauthammer, and numerous others have expressed their respect for his status among writers.
Before his career in politics, however, he was a highly regarded psychiatrist, winning the Edwin Dunlop Prize for excellence in psychiatric research and clinical medicine.
He wrote the book Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics in 2013. It was a New York Times best-seller.
He is survived by his wife Robyn and his son Daniel.