Celebrity News May 18, 2017
Roger Ailes, Former Fox News Chief, Dead at 77 — What Happened?
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UPDATE: The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner has released Ailes' cause of death, saying he died of "complications of a subdural hematoma."
Fox News founder Roger Ailes has died at the age of 77.
TMZ reports that Ailes collapsed at his Florida home and hit his head over a week ago. He fell unconscious and went into a coma on Wednesday, passing away later that night.
In the police report obtained by "Extra," Ailes' fall, characterized as accidental, happened in the bathroom. He suffered "serious bleeding" after the head injury and was not "completely alert."
Ailes also suffered from multiple health conditions before his passing, which are said to have been contributing factors to his death.
His wife Elizabeth said in a statement, "I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning surrounded by his beautiful family. Roger was my best friend, the most wonderful loving husband and father to our son Zachary. He was a loyal friend to so many."
"Roger was a patriot, grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise — and to give back,” she went on. "During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life."
Following Ailes' death, Fox News personality Sean Hannity paid tribute on Twitter, writing, "Today America lostone of its great patriotic warriors. Roger Ailes. For Decades RA's has impacted American politics and media.He has dramatically and forever changed the political and the media landscape singlehandedly for the better. Neither will ever be the same again as he was a true American original. Few people in this life will ever reach the profound level of impact that Roger Ailes had on the country every single day. As his opponents played checkers in life, Roger was always the strategist, playing Chess, 5 steps ahead at a whole other level.”
His death comes 10 months after his resignation from Fox News. He left the company the same month former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. After her suit became public, numerous other women — including former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly — came forward with stories of Ailes' inappropriate advances, all of which he denied.
