Don Imus, whose career as a disc jockey was made and then undone by his acid tongue during a decades-long rise to radio stardom and an abrupt public plunge after a nationally broadcast racial slur, has died. He was 79.
Imus died Friday morning at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, after being hospitalized since Christmas Eve, according to a statement issued by his family. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Deirdre, and two sons.
Imus, who survived drug and alcohol woes and several firings during his long career behind the microphone, sparked national outrage and was eventually fired after describing the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."
His April 2007 racist and misogynist crack about the mostly black team, an oft-replayed 10-second snippet, crossed a line that Imus had long straddled as his rants catapulted him to prominence. The remark was heard coast to coast on 60 radio stations and the MSNBC cable network.
Imus -- just 10 years earlier named one of Time Magazine's 25 most influential Americans -- became persona non grata for the remark, which he made repeated apologies for and acknowledged was "completely inappropriate ... thoughtless and stupid."
His radio show was pulled eight days later by CBS Radio.
The Rutgers team accepted Imus' apology and said he deserved a second chance to move on, but coach C. Vivian Stringer and her players also hoped the furor his words sparked would be a catalyst for change.
Imus later collected a reported multimillion-dollar settlement of his five-year contract with the company. He soon returned to the airwaves with WABC Radio.
Imus also was known for his off-air philanthropy. He ran a New Mexico ranch for dying children, and a pediatric medical center at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey bears his name.
In the decade before his slur against the Rutgers team, Imus redefined his show by mixing his comedy segments with A-list guests, including politicians, journalists and musicians.
But Imus rarely missed a chance to get in trouble, even in the good times. He engaged in a long-running feud with shock jock Howard Stern, who usurped Imus' position as the No. 1 morning host in New York City. And he outraged guests at the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner in 1996, cracking wise about President Bill Clinton's extramarital activities as the first lady sat nearby. A White House spokesman called Imus' bit "fairly tasteless."
A February 2006 profile in Vanity Fair contained the quote that might best serve as Imus' epitaph: "I talk to millions of people every day," he said while riding home in a limousine after one show. "I just like it when they can't talk back."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.