Today we lost a thought leader, a teacher, and a Pulitzer Prize winner who was filled with endless wisdom that we should all try to emulate. Charles Krauthammer leaves behind a legacy of knowledge, honesty, humility, and morality.
Just two weeks ago, on June 8th, Krauthammer announced via letter that he had been fighting cancer for the past month.
He wrote in his announcement: “I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me…”
He announced, much to the sadness of his fan and thought leaders all over the world, that the cancer he faced years ago had returned, and this time in an aggressive way.
“Recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly.”
‘My Fight is Over’: Charles Krauthammer Reveals Devastating Health News
He added that he had had a procedure done back in August in order to “to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen,” which the and the doctors both believed to remove the cancer from his body. He added in his letter that sadly, “it caused a cascade of secondary complications,” and sent him to the hospital ever since.
He then added that he only had weeks to live.
“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.”
Krauthammer was not only a syndicated columnist but a Pulitzer Prize winner and a Harvard trained psychiatrist.
His life was not one without roadblocks. When Krauthammer enrolled at Harvard Medical School, he was injured in a diving board accident that paralyzed him from his neck down. He spent 14 months in recovery, where he finally was able to return to Medical School and complete his education to become a psychiatrist.
After completing research at Harvard on Secondary Mania he moved to Washington, DC to pursue a career in politics. He joined Jimmy Carters administration, and two years later he won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in the Washington Post. He went on to be named the most influential commentator in America in 2006 by the Finacial Times which they accredited to the fact that he “influenced US foreign policy for more than two decades.”
He was well-loved by both sides of the aisle, Ben Smith praising him in 2009 stating he had “emerged in the Age of Obama as a central conservative voice, the kind of leader of the opposition that economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman represented for the left during the Bush years: a coherent, sophisticated and implacable critic of the new president.”
After he passed, Fox called Krauthammer the “dean of conservative commentators” as well as an “arguably a Renaissance man,” and described his career “in such disparate fields as psychiatry, speech-writing, print journalism and television.”
Earlier this month when Krauthammer announced his battle with cancer had returned, Vice President Mike Pence took to Twitter to release a statement.
The Vice-President tweeted “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.”
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. pic.twitter.com/tc5TkmyWTm
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) June 8, 2018
Already this afternoon people from all sects of life have commented on Krauthammer’s death, lamenting the loss of a leader.
Bret Baier commented: “R.I.P. good friend. I am sure you will be owning the panel discussion in heaven as well. And we’ll make sure your wise words and thoughts – your legacy – will live on here @krauthammer”
R.I.P. good friend. I am sure you will be owning the panel discussion in heaven as well. And we’ll make sure your wise words and thoughts – your legacy – will live on here @krauthammer
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) June 21, 2018
Brit Hume stated: “Terribly sad news. The great Charles Krauthammer has died.”
Terribly sad news. The great Charles Krauthammer has died.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) June 21, 2018
Dana Perino stated: “Words are inadequate for expressing feelings about the loss of Charles Krauthammer. I learned more from him than just about anyone in my life. I’m grateful for his friendship, his mentoring, his wisdom. What a life he lived. May he have all the rest and peace he so deserved.”
Words are inadequate for expressing feelings about the loss of Charles Krauthammer. I learned more from him than just about anyone in my life. I’m grateful for his friendship, his mentoring, his wisdom. What a life he lived. May he have all the rest and peace he so deserved.
— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) June 21, 2018
Megyn Kelly called him a national treasure, tweeting “The great Charles Krauthammer has died. We’ve lost a national treasure.”
The great Charles Krauthammer has died. We’ve lost a national treasure.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 21, 2018
The Nationals baseball team took time to commemorate Krauthammer’s life tonight holding for a moment of silence. They tweeted: “Moment of silence for @krauthammer at @nationals Park tonight.”
Moment of silence for @krauthammer at @nationals Park tonight pic.twitter.com/9tJzBe9DiT
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) June 21, 2018
Rupert Murdoch, who is the executive chairman of Fox News and someone close to Krauthammer said in a statement at the time, “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.”
Charles Krauthammer lived a life of integrity, honesty, and morality, and led with an example of wisdom that we should all learn from.