Charles Krauthammer dies at the age of 68

Former President George W. Bush said in a statement that he and his wife Laura were “deeply saddened by the loss of an intellectual giant and dear friend.”

“For decades, Charles’ words have strengthened our democracy. His work was far-reaching and influential – and while his voice will be deeply missed, his ideas and values will always be a part of our country,” Bush said.

“Just because this news didn’t come as a surprise does not make it any easier to face,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement, adding that Krauthammer “was in a class of his own.”

“As a writer, speaker, and commentator, Charles served our society as a public intellectual in the truest sense. His pen functioned like a lighthouse, helping all of us see more clearly and reason more thoroughly through the most important issues that our nation faced,” McConnell said.

In his final letter earlier this month, Krauthammer thanked his readers and viewers, as well as his friends for “a lifetime of memories.”

“I leave this life with no regrets. 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,” the columnist wrote.

Educated at Harvard, Krauthammer was paralyzed from the waist down in a diving accident that occurred during his freshman year. He went on to graduate and later became a physician before turning to media.

The Washington Post editorial board honored the columnist in a piece released shortly after his letter was published this month, thanking him for years of writing.

“Charles wrote for the right reasons. Lord knows — and presidents, from right to left, can attest — he didn’t seek invitations to White House dinners or other badges of approval from the powerful. He sought, rather, to provoke us to think, to enlarge our understanding, at times to make us laugh,” the Post’s board wrote.

At Fox News, Krauthammer was a nightly staple on “Special Report with Bret Baier” for more than a decade. He also won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his writing at the Post. 

On Thursday night’s “Special Report,” fill-in anchor John Roberts played a montage of lighthearted clips of Krauthammer talking baseball and the Washington Nationals, a team to which he owned season tickets.

To end the program, an empty chair where Krauthammer sat for more than a decade was shown before an obituary graphic with his photo was presented.

Roberts also announced a one-hour special looking back on Krauthammer’s life that will air Friday night at 9 p.m. ET. 

– Joe Concha contributed

Updated: 7:30 p.m.