The former head of Fox News, the man who wielded immense influence over United States politics, and changed it to what we know today has died. Roger Ailes, died Thursday at the age of 77 after falling inside a bathroom at his Palm Beach mansion. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died while undergoing treatment.
The Palm Beach Police Department in Florida confirmed he had died without giving any details about the cause of death. They reported that an emergency call was made to the 911 emergency hotline and first responders rushed to the home where the incident happened.
According to sources, Ailes had gone to use the bathroom at his home when he accidentally fell. Reportedly, he was bleeding profusely from his head when he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died from brain trauma.
Ailes oversized ego propelled him to great wealth
Roger Ailes is well known as the man that created the Fox News network as well as his oversized political ego. However, he started from Humble Beginnings and got his lucky break while working for an employer in Palm Beach, Florida. However, his first job in the media arena started at KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
He started out in an assistant’s role, then rose to become a producer on a talk show with host Mike Douglas. He then moved up the ladder to an executive producer after the show gained popularity and became a nationally televised program.
His work on the popular syndicated show gained him an Emmy nomination per his Wikipedia page.
Prior to the incident, he had been suffering from poor health as well. In 2012, his autobiographer Zev Chafets said he once told him that he was always prepared to face death due to his hemophilia issues. In the book ‘Roger Ailes Off Camera’ there is a section that talks about how as a child he spent most of his time admitted in several different hospitals.
Roger Ailes transformed Fox News into a powerhouse
The ex-CEO had also worked in the political arena as an advisor to several Republican presidential candidates from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump. He was credited with making Fox News a ratings powerhouse during his 20-year chairmanship.
However, his personal legacy was always clouded by sexual harassment allegations from individuals, who reported that he had inappropriate contact with them.
In 2014, it was alleged that Ailes had offered a TV producer in the 1980s a pay increase if she engaged in sexual relations with him. That allegation was rejected and denied by the Fox News media house. But after decades of sexual harassment claims from female colleagues, he resigned in July 2016.
Fox News was formed by media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1996 and Ailes was hired as the CEO. Former network news executive Joe Peyronnin once said Ailes changed the US political landscape and no other person will ever be able to divide the country as he did with his political views.
