R.I.P.: Talk Show Pioneer Alan Colmes Has Died

Fox News Channel's Alan Colmes has passed away at age 66 after a brief illness.

Colmes leaves behind his wife, Jocelyn Crowley, who issued the following statement:

Alan Colmes passed away this morning after a brief illness. He was 66-years-old. He leaves his adoring and devoted wife, Jocelyn Elise Crowley. 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. He will be missed. The family has asked for privacy during this very difficult time. 

Bill Hemmer announced the sad news this morning on "America's Newsroom," which then aired a tribute package from Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity, his former co-host on "Hannity & Colmes."

Colmes began his career in stand-up comedy.  He developed his radio career in the Northeast, eventually working at stations such as WABC, WNBC, WHN, WMCA and WEVD in New York, WNHC in New Haven, and WEZE and WZLX in Boston.

His radio career took off when WABC hired him for the morning drive time slot. He was billed as "W. Alan B. Colmes," as in the station's call sign. He moved to WNBC in 1987, but his tenure there would be short when NBC announced in 1988 it would close its radio division. When WNBC went off the air for the last time on October 7, 1988, Colmes' was the last voice heard.



He has been syndicated nationally, starting with his involvement with Daynet, a venture created by Colmes and other regional radio hosts. Daynet was sold to Major Networks, Inc. in 1994. Colmes kept his own show, which is distributed by Fox News Radio. He was hired by Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in 1996. He was the co-host of Hannity & Colmes, beginning with the Fox News Channel launch on October 6, 1996, and ending on January 9, 2009. He also appeared live on Shovio.com's new broadcasting technology, TalkBackTV.



Colmes left Hannity & Colmes at the end of 2008.  Fox replaced it with Hannity, premiering in January 2009. Colmes has continued as a commentator on Fox News, most often on The O'Reilly Factor where he frequently appears with his conservative sister-in-law, Monica Crowley. He is an infrequent guest-panelist on Fox News' late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.

Post–Hannity & Colmes, Colmes was a frequent panelist on the news analysis program Fox News Watch alongside Cal Thomas, Judith Miller, and other pundits.