The legendary conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh tragically passed away on Wednesday at the age of 70. Afterwards, former Vice President Mike Pence spoke out to pay a touching tribute to him, crediting him for many of the opportunities he has had in his career.

While talking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday night, Pence said that he would always be grateful to Limbaugh for the things he did as the “anchor of conservatism.”

Close

“People wouldn’t know this about me — but Rush Limbaugh came of age in about 1989, and it was literally at a time, you know, you had an incredible career in radio,” Pence said. “But in the ’80s, literally, 8:00 a.m. radio was dying. And Rush Limbaugh stepped in as a force of nature, and he transformed and invented conservative talk radio. In the early 1990s, I was drawn into that medium, and really just as a fan of Rush Limbaugh, like I had my own talk show radio show across of the state of Indiana for much of the 1990s. And as you said, I would describe myself as Rush Limbaugh on decaf.”

“And so we started out as fans,” he added. “We would go on as following him into talk radio. But during my years in the House of Representatives fighting alongside House conservatives, my years as governor, and my years serving alongside President Trump as Vice President of the United States, Rush Limbaugh was an inspiration. He was an anchor of conservatism. And in every real sense, I can say to you with deep humility I would not have had the opportunities that I had from radio to the Congress to the governorship to serving as vice president but for the life and the voice and the example of Rush Limbaugh. And I will always be grateful.”

Earlier in the day, Pence had honored Limbaugh on Twitter, writing, “Today America lost a Giant with the passing of Rush Limbaugh, and Karen and I send our most heartfelt sympathies to Kathryn, his brother David, and the millions of Americans who loved and cherished his incomparable voice.”