Tony Snow dies of cancer; ex-Bush press secretary was 53

After a long, candid and public battle with colon cancer, former White House press secretary and television-radio host Tony Snow died early this morning.

Snow died about 2 a.m. EDT in Georgetown University Hospital. He was 53 and is survived by his wife, Jill Ellen Walker, and their three children: Kendall, Robbie and Kristi.

A video segment about his death is available by clicking the Read more line below.

Snow previously served as chief speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush and as a frequent host on Fox News Channel's "Fox News Sunday," "Weekend Live" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

He also guest-hosted for Rush Limbaugh and had his own radio talk show.

In September, after 17 months in the White House job, Snow retired as President George W. Bush's third press secretary, typically not blaming his disease but saying with his cancer he needed to ...

... earn more for his family than the job's $168,000 salary. He was succeeded by Dana Perino.

Snow said he left the press secretary job with regret, calling it "the most exciting, intellectually aerobic job I'm ever going to have."

In an early morning statement issued from his weekend retreat at Camp David, Md., Bush said he and Laura were "deeply saddened."

"America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character," the president said. "It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace and a great love of country to his work."

In a telephone interview this morning with the Fox News Channel, former George H.W. Bush praised his top speechwriter and said: "He wrote it the way he thought I'd want to say it. I'm not Glowing Rhetorical Guy, so he'd have to downgrade some of his own wonderful way with words." Barbara Bush then got on the phone, but choked up.

Popular and inevitably cheerful, even during his draining chemotherapy treatments, Snow was well liked among the White House press corps, and with the smooth practice of a broadcaster seemed to genuinely enjoy the public sparring with the media and explaining his boss' positions.

Karl Rove, Bush's counselor and chief political strategist, was traveling in the Crimea this morning when contacted by cellphone. "Oh, no!" he said. Having direct access to the president like Rove had was a key demand of Snow's before accepting the job on April 26, 2006, and beginning work on May 6.

He succeeded Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan in that position.

Snow had gone through remission, but the cancer returned and forced another operation. Despite the pain and nausea, he remained optimistic and talked openly on several programs about the experience as an aid and encouragement to other patients.

"I'm a very lucky guy," he would say frequently.

Although he had been ill recently, friends did not know the end was near. So the news was particularly stunning to those who knew the tall fellow with the large grin.

Three months ago, CNN announced that Snow would join that network as a conservative commentator. The Kentucky native graduated from Davidson College in 1977.

Robert Anthony Snow was born June 1, 1955, in Berea. His father, Jim, was a social studies teacher and assistant principal in the Cincinnati suburbs, and Snow's mother worked as a nurse in the inner city. She too died of colon cancer, when Tony was 17.

Snow was also a newspaper veteran, having written for a variety of smaller dailies before becoming deputy editorial page editor at the Detroit News and then editorial page editor of the Washington Times.

He also wrote a column for Creators Syndicate from 1993 to 2000 that appeared in more than 200 newspapers across the country.

In April the Associated Press reported that Snow was admitted to a hospital in Spokane, Wash., with an undisclosed illness and his speaking engagements were canceled. A month later, while in Ohio, he was again admitted to a hospital and was told that he could not travel for some time. Still, he was known to call friends and inquire after their health.

"Fox News Sunday" will have a special tribute to its initial host Sunday with Snow's friend Brit Hume as substitute host for Chris Wallace.

"I'll miss it," Snow told reporters at his final White House briefing on Sept. 13. "I love these briefings." And it sounded to those professional skeptics as if he really meant it.

(UPDATE: A memorial service for Snow is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Thursday at Catholic University’s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.)

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo credits: The White House

Comments

[luzmar]

tony snow was very truthful and sincere about all the issues regarding Iraque etc. The terrorist et al already
declared war on us ,all they care is to kill more Americans! At least Pres. Bush showed our enemies
that we are not going to get kill with out a fight! SADAM
HUSSEIN was the WMD , you know why? Scientists
technicians and other countries are afraid of him plus
he could pay them to put the WMD together & order them to send it here in our country , to kill many thousands of
our people.Toxic elements etc.needs a users to become
WMD.Other countries think twice before they'll write off
our great USA. Pres.Bush is honest,brave, firm,¬ FF

[Drew]

"These comments will be moderated?" Yeah, right.

Some of you people are truly heartless. How dare you speak that way about a fellow human being.

[Fred]

The most remarkable thing to me (other than the cowardly, mentally ill, left wing loonies who applauded Snow's passing here) is that the LA Times' "moderators" allowed some of these comments to be posted. Nauseating.

When the next well-known liberal dies, let's see who's allowed to trash their memory here. Oh, I nearly forgot -- conservatives have more class than to do that.

[Arthur Cutchen]

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

Here's one to mull over in our minds...
I wonder what comments were deemed offensive and not approved for this blog.... WOW

God bless Tony's family our prayers are with you
He will be missed.

[Brian]

The LA Times has an inherent responsibility to censor inappropriate comments. Like all businesses there is a corporate ethos that should include among other things: civility. My prayers are for Tony and his family.

[Jim]

There sure are some hateful people on this site.
Being an Independent, no wonder I vote republican 60% of the time.

[Debbie Connor]

My comment probably will not get printed because it is not vile enough. I never read the la times, with good reason. Everybody talks about having the rights that they have to say whatever they they want. I never hear anybody talk about being responsible with those rights. I hope that those that were so vile will take a long look at their lives and possibly make a change in them.

[scott tennant]

vacuous & intellectually bankrupt newspapers produce some of the aforementioned comments posted by some of these geniuses. alenda lux ubi orta libertas. RIP Tony.

[Chris K]

If the Islamic fascists ever get their way and take over this country, (and make no mistake about it, that is what they want), all of you hate-filled left-wing socialists will get what you deserve. Capital punishment for adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, ... If that day comes in your lifetime, you will be praying for a president who would be even stronger than Bush on terrorism, maybe someone like Michael Savage.

The war on terror is the only issue I need to consider to vote Republican. McCain as a POW is a true hero. Obama hasn't done one thing for this country.

[frank perea]

i will miss tony snow dearly. as a democrat until 1993 ( i am now 48). i now see why it was so easy to switch. i ask myself only why it took so long. the left is filled with bile and hate.
the comments left by these cowards comes as no suprise to me.
tony you are a good man a man of god and family. i aspire to have your strength,will and love for all as you do.
you wpould not take these hate filled remarks as hard as we do, you i am sure would forgive and forget.
we love you

[Logan 5 Scott]

I was saddened at the loss of Tony Snow. his innate charm and charisma will be sorely missed.

He was an inspiration to millions of cancer survivors, as well as a genuinely warm human being.

Godspeed, Tony

[Wince Wink]

I guess its well-known by many now that Karl Rove was in Crimea a few months ago to negotiate the war in Georgia. If Tony Snow had not passed away, Rove’s clandestine trip would have gone unnoticed. Conveniently, Bush was in Chinea when it started. Why would Bush/McCain/Rove want to start a war in Georgia? Bush/McCain/Rove need a war right now. Bush and McCain need to divert attention away from the faltering economy. McCain needs to seem strong on defense and Rove is the right man to scoot under the radar and get the job done without much fanfare. Cheney and McCain are going in and "solve" the problem.