Conservative radio talk show host Phil Valentine has died after battling COVID-19, according to his radio station, SuperTalk 99.7 WTN. The 61-year-old was hospitalized more than five weeks.
The station asked for prayers for Valentine’s family and dedicated air time Saturday evening to discussing his life, including Valentine’s role in resisting a proposed state income tax in the late 1990s.
Remembrances also came quickly from top Tennessee Republicans, including Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who called Valentine a “visionary for the conservative movement.”
“He made an enormous impact on the lives of many Tennesseans as an esteemed radio host, actor, and author,” Blackburn wrote.
Updates on Valentine’s condition had been shared regularly in recent weeks, including a turn that saw him placed on a ventilator. His illness was also cited by some vaccine skeptics as a reason to change their minds and get inoculated.
Valentine had long downplayed the global pandemic, even poking fun at his own positive test. But before his passing, Valentine had relayed through his brother that he regretted not taking COVID-19 and vaccinations more seriously.
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