Don Imus, Legendary Radio Personality, Dies at Age 79

Don Imus
Deborah Feingold/Corbis via Getty Images

He was the host of 'Imus in the Morning' for nearly 50 years.

Don Imus, the longtime cowboy hat-wearing radio personality, has died at the age of 79.

Imus was the host of Imus in the Morning for nearly 50 years -- with the program getting its start in the late 1960s.

CBS News confirmed the controversial host’s passing on Friday evening.

Imus’ exact cause of death has not been revealed at this time.

A family representative says he died Friday morning in College Station, Texas, after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve.

The 79-year-old was one of the original shock jocks of radio. Imus retired last year.

This story was originally published by CBS New York on Dec. 27, 2019 at 6:04 p.m. ET. 

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