Charles Krauthammer, the long-time conservative columnist and television pundit, informed readers on Friday morning that he is confronting an aggressive form of cancer.
He says he will be dead within the next few weeks.
“My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live,” Krauthammer wrote very simply in The Washington Post earlier today.
Krauthammer passed along this devastating piece of news in a short, matter-of-fact note on the website of the aforementioned newspaper, for which he’s worked as a columnist since 1984.
“I leave this life with no regrets,” Krauthammer added in the farewell message, which has been making the Internet rounds all day.
He continued:
“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.”
That’s a pretty amazing and admirable attitude for anyone to have, considering what Krauthammer is facing right now.
Krauthammer has also worked as commentator for Fox News over the past few years.
However, he was forced to step away from both the newspaper and the cable network last August for surgery to remove what he called at the time “a cancerous tumor in my abdomen.”
It appeared at one point as if the cancer was in remission, but Krauthammer confirmed on Friday that this positive news was only temporary.
“Recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned,” he wrote. “There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly.”
In his note to readers, Krauthammer thanked co-workers, readers, and viewers “who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work.”
He added:
“I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking.
“I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.”
A handful of folks in the world of TV and politics have also chimed in after learning of this tragic news.
For example, Rupert Murdoch, the executive chairman of Fox News, said in a statement Friday afternoon:
Charles has been a profound source of personal and intellectual inspiration for all of us at Fox News.
His always principled stand on the most important issues of our time has been a guiding star in an often turbulent world, a world that has too many superficial thinkers vulnerable to the ebb and flow of fashion, and a world that, unfortunately, has only one Charles Krauthammer.
His words, his ideas, his dignity and his integrity will resonate within our society and within me for many, many years to come.
And Vice President Mike Pence Tweeted the following:
Karen and I were saddened to learn that Charles @krauthammer, a man we greatly admire, is nearing the end of his extraordinary life.
His wit, his wisdom, and his tireless defense of Western values have made an indelible mark on the minds of millions of Americans.
