Fox liberal Colmes dies
Hannity’s friendly foe was 66
Longtime Fox News Channel personality Alan Colmes — the sharp-witted liberal who regularly went toe-to-toe against his conservative counterpart, Sean Hannity — died Thursday morning in New York. He was 66. His wife, Jocelyn Crowley, said the cause of death was lymphoma, The New York Times reported.
“He was a great guy, brilliant, hysterical and moral. He was fiercely loyal and the only thing he loved more than his work was his life with Jocelyn,” his family said in a statement.
Colmes began his career in the spotlight as a stand-up comedian before becoming a radio host on WABC and the old WNBC in the 1980s, Fox noted Thursday in a segment dedicated to him.
In 1996, the New York- born Hofstra University graduate joined Fox, taking a seat next to conservative Hannity for their “Hannity & Colmes” debate show, which aired until 2009.
In a statement, Hannity said he was “truly heartbroken at the loss of a dear friend.”
“Despite major political differences, we forged a deep friendship,” Hannity said. “Alan, in the midst of great sickness and illness, showed the single greatest amount of courage I’ve ever seen. And through it all, he showed his incredible wit and humor that was Alan’s signature throughout his entire life.”
Colmes and Crowley, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, married in 2003.
That same year, Colmes published his book, “Red, White & Liberal: How Left is Right and Right is Wrong.”
Despite his liberal appearance on air, Colmes said he considered himself “quite moderate” and a “left-of-center humorist.”
“I follow [Rush] Limbaugh on about 100 stations and I precede other conservatives, so I may be the only person giving a different point of view,” he told USA Today in 1995.
Sen. John McCain tweeted, “Alan Colmes showed us all how to argue an opinion fiercely w/ out sacrificing civility — he will be missed.”