Progressive Fox News commentator Alan Colmes died Thursday after a “brief illness,” his family announced. He was 66.
The news comes after Colmes announced in January that he was taking a leave of absence from the network for medical issues.
Colmes began his broadcasting career in radio, working for a variety of news stations across the northeastern U.S. He joined Fox News shortly before it debuted in 1996, serving as the liberal counterpart to Sean Hannity. Their show, “Hannity & Colmes,” ran until 2009. Hannity took over at the show’s helm while Colmes stayed on at the company as a political commentator and radio host.
Hannity called his former sparring partner “one of the nicest, kindest, and most generous people.” Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly said Colmes was “an incredible positive force.”
Fox News paid tribute to Colmes in a video that Hannity narrated.
“Today the Fox News channel lost a very dear member of our family,” Hannity said. “One of the nicest, kindest, friendliest people and a dear personal friend.”
Hannity noted that Colmes had embraced the spotlight as a stand-up comedian long before he joined Fox News. A native New Yorker and a graduate of Hofstra University, Colmes was widely praised during his career for his insightful commentary and hard-hitting interviews with some of the biggest political figures of the moment, including former President Bill Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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