(NBC News) - Roger Ailes, founder and former CEO of Fox News died Thursday morning at age 77, the network announced.



Ailes resigned as chairman and CEO of Fox News last July. His resignation following days of speculation after a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against him by a former anchor. 



There is no word yet on the cause of death. </s> Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a cable powerhouse, has died at the age of 77. </s> Roger Ailes, the bombastic and controversial founder and CEO of Fox News who was ousted last year in a sexual harassment scandal, has died, Fox News reported Thursday.

Ailes, who reshaped television news over five decades in the TV and entertainment industry, was 77.

His death was announced in a statement by his wife, Elizabeth Ailes, according to Fox News.

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning," she said.

She called him "a loving husband" and "patriot."

The cause of death was not immediately clear. </s> Roger Ailes, the bombastic and controversial founder and CEO of Fox News who was ousted last year in a sexual harassment scandal, has died, Fox News reported Thursday.

Ailes, who reshaped television news over five decades in the TV and entertainment industry, was 77.

HIs death was announced in a statement by his wife, Elizabeth Ailes, according to Fox News.

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger ailes, passed away this morning," she said.

She called him "a loving husband" and "patriot."

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

While Fox News on Twitter was quick to issue a report of Ailes' death, the Fox News cable channel was slower to broadcast the surprising news.

At 9 a.m., at least a half hour after the news broke on most outlets, Fox anchor Bill Hemmer, looking shaken, reported Ailes death to his audience, ending his brief report by saying, softly, "Wow!"

Ailes resigned July 21 following a storm over a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson. The suit triggered similar claims from other women and an in-house investigation at Fox.

Ailes strongly denied the claim, but stepped down. </s> Former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who left the cable news company after facing sexual harassment allegations and discrimination lawsuits, has died, Fox News confirms.

 

 Ailes’ wife, Elizabeth, released the following statement:

 

 “I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise – and to give back. During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life…”

The parent company of Fox News Channel, Twenty-First Century Fox, has paid $45 million in settlements related to sexual harassment allegations against former CEO Roger Ailes.

 

 Roger Ailes was 77. </s> Former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has died, the network says, citing a statement from the late executive's family. Ailes resigned from his post leading Fox News last July, amid allegations of sexual harassment. He was 77.

Ailes helped to found Fox News in 1996. Today, the network initially announced his death by citing the Drudge Report, which had published a statement from Ailes' wife, Elizabeth.

According to Fox News, that statement reads:

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back."

Anchors of the channel's morning show Fox and Friends were noticeably emotional in announcing Ailes' death.

"Beth you are in our thoughts and prayers," co-host Ainsley Earhardt said, "and so is Zachary, their beautiful son. Roger, rest in peace."

Ailes was famous for his shrewd leadership of Fox, including his focus on hiring on-air staff with big personalities. But he left Fox with a tarnished legacy, facing legal actions over allegations of sexual harassment.

Ailes denied accusations that he built a culture at Fox that encouraged sexual harassment, after a lawsuit by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson prompted other women at the network, including high-profile anchor Megyn Kelly, to step forward with similar claims.

In the decades before he created a ratings juggernaut in Fox News, Ailes worked in politics, serving as a media adviser and consultant — most famously for Richard Nixon, whom Ailes helped to win the presidency in 1968. He later worked for other Republican leaders, from presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. </s> Roger Ailes, the bombastic and controversial founder and CEO of Fox News ousted last year in a sexual harassment scandal, has died.

Ailes, who reshaped television news over five decades in the TV and entertainment industry, was 77. His death was announced in a statement by his wife, Elizabeth Ailes, according to Fox News.

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning," she said. She called him "a loving husband" and "patriot."

Former Chairman and CEO of the Fox News Network Roger Ailes participates in the "America's Best Leaders: How do they lead? Where are they taking us?" National Issues Briefing Oct. 25, 2005 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Getty Images

In a series of messages, Fox News host Sean Hannity tweeted tributes to his onetime boss, saying he was "like a second father."

"Today, America lost one of its great patriotic warriors," Hannity said on Twitter. "He has dramatically and forever changed the political and the media landscape, single-handedly for the better."

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Fox anchor Bill Hemmer, looking shaken, announced Ailes' death to his audience, ending his brief report by saying, softly, "Wow!"

Ailes resigned July 21 following a storm over a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson. The suit triggered similar claims from other women and an in-house investigation at Fox.

Ailes strongly denied the claims, but stepped down with a $40 million severance package.

Gabriel Sherman, who wrote a biography on Ailes entitled The Loudest Voice in the Room, called his "last chapter" a tragic story, "whatever you think of Roger Ailes."

"It is a tragic, sad morning," Sherman told MSNBC on Thursday. "After all he built in his career, he for all practical purposes died alone."

In a statement announcing Ailes' departure last year, Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, praised Ailes for his "remarkable contribution" to the company and said he "shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years."

Ailes began his television career in the early 1960s as a producer at The Mike Douglas Show in Cleveland, and went onto serve as media consultant for several Republican presidents, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

In recent years, he began an informal adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump, even sitting in on debate prep for the candidate during his 2016 campaign.

In 1996, Murdoch, seeing a market for a conservative cable news outlet, hired Ailes to create Fox News. Ailes molded the network to run like a political campaign operation, with primetime shows that were unabashedly conservative and hosts who openly espoused Republican talking points. The network eventually unseated CNN as the highest-rated cable news network and became one of the most popular cable networks of all genres, reaching more than 90 million households.

The crowning achievement, however, was sullied in his final months by the charges of sexual misconduct. Twenty-First Century Fox noted in a recent quarterly report that it paid $45 million in settlements related to sexual harassment allegations against Ailes.

Carlson alleged at least six conditions in which Ailes referred to her body, intimidated her or used demeaning language. At least a half-dozen other women, including former Fox News star Megyn Kelly, came forward to accuse Ailes, who denied wrongdoing.

A miniseries about Ailes, titled Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes, was already in the works at Showtime, based in part of Sherman's book. </s> - Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a cable powerhouse before leaving amid sexual harrassment allegations, has died at the age of 77. The cause of death was not immediately released.

The Ohio-born television pioneer was a confidante of presidents and an acknowledged master of communications. He founded Fox News in 1996 and built it into the nation's long-running No. 1 cable news network. Ailes resigned from Fox in July amid charges of sexual harassment.

His widow, Elizabeth Ailes, confirmed the news in a statement.

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning," the statement read. "Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back."

Copyright 2017 FOX 11 Los Angeles: Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Be a citizen journalist for FOX 11 and get paid – download the Fresco News App today. </s> Former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has died, the network says, citing a statement from the late executive's family. Ailes resigned from his post leading Fox News last July, amid allegations of sexual harassment. He was 77.

Ailes helped to found Fox News in 1996. Today, the network initially announced his death by citing the Drudge Report, which had published a statement from Ailes' wife, Elizabeth.

According to Fox News, that statement reads:

"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back."

Anchors of the channel's morning show Fox & Friends were noticeably emotional in announcing Ailes' death.

"Beth you are in our thoughts and prayers," co-host Ainsley Earhardt said, "and so is Zachary, their beautiful son. Roger, rest in peace."

Ailes was famous for his shrewd leadership of Fox, including his focus on airing conservative opinions and hiring anchors and reporters with big personalities. But he left Fox with a tarnished legacy, facing legal actions over allegations of sexual harassment.

Ailes denied accusations that he built a culture at Fox that encouraged harassment, after a lawsuit by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson prompted other women at the network, including high-profile anchor Megyn Kelly, to step forward with similar claims. He abruptly resigned last July.

In the decades before he created a ratings juggernaut in Fox News, Ailes worked in politics, serving as a media adviser and consultant — most famously for Richard Nixon, whom Ailes helped to win the presidency in 1968. He later worked for other Republican leaders, from Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush to then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Ailes was a producer of the variety and talk program The Mike Douglas Show when he met Nixon. In the years that followed, as NPR's David Folkenflik has reported, Ailes "kept toggling between producing television specials and serving as a political consultant, sometimes doing both at once."

The architect of Fox News was also close to President Donald Trump, to whom he gave a weekly slot on Fox & Friends — a show that the president has regularly touted in his tweets from the White House.

Trump "sort of represents Roger Ailes's legacy of 50 years of using television to advance a style - a populist style of conservative politics," journalist and author Gabriel Sherman told NPR's Terry Gross last summer.

Sherman, who wrote a biography of Ailes that was titled The Loudest Voice In The Room, also spoke to Terry back in 2014, when his book was first published.

Discussing Ailes' impact on politics and culture in the U.S., Sherman said, "One of Ailes' lasting legacies will be that for millions of Americans, news is now no longer viewed as a way to be informed about the world; it's a way of gathering information that advances your side."
Roger Ailes, the former Chairman and founding CEO of Fox News, dies at the age of 77.