NEW YORK-- It's the end of an era.
Don Imus has died at the age of 79.
The NYC radio legend was best known for his outsized cowboy hat and penchant for making controversial, often offensive, statements, including one racial slur about the Rutgers Women's basketball team that got him fired from CBS in 2007.
His family issued a statement Friday afternoon on his passing:
"Imus passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve, a representative said. The cause of death was not given.
"Don loved and adored Deirdre, who unconditionally loved him back, loved spending his time watching Wyatt become a highly skilled, champion rodeo rider and calf roper, and loved and supported Zachary, who first met the Imus family at age 10 when he participated in the Imus Ranch program for kids with cancer, having battled and overcome leukemia, eventually becoming a member of the Imus family and Don and Deirdre’s second son," Imus' family said in a statement.
Imus is survived by his wife of 25 years, Deirdre, sons Wyatt and Lt. Zachary Don Cates and daughters Nadine, Ashley, Elizabeth and Toni.
A small service for Imus will be held in the next few days. The family requests that any donations be made to the Imus Ranch Foundation, which supports charities for children with cancer and other major illnesses."
