Former Arizona news anchor and cable news presenter Lou Dobbs dies at age 78

PHOENIX (AZ Family/AP) — Well-known cable news host and former Arizona news anchor Lou Dobbs has died at the age of 78.

Former President Donald Trump was the first to announce his death on his Truth Social account on Thursday afternoon.

“The great Lou Dobbs just passed away – a friend and truly incredible journalist, reporter and talent,” Trump wrote.

Dobbs, a conservative political commentator, has made national headlines in recent years as part of the Birther movement, questions whether former President Barack Obama is a US citizen.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lou Dobbs. Lou was an incredible businessman with a gift for broadcasting and helped make cable news a successful and influential industry,” a Fox News Media spokesperson said. “We are eternally grateful for his many contributions and extend our deepest condolences to his family.”

Dobbs began his career in the media industry in the 1970s, working at a television station in Yuma before taking jobs as an anchor and reporter in Phoenix and then Seattle.

Dobbs later joined CNN when the cable channel launched in 1980 and worked as an anchor and managing editor for a business and financial news program.

More recently, Dobbs was the most popular host on the Fox Business Network. However, his show was canceled a day after Fox faced a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit that named Dobbs as one of the co-defendants. The network said the move was part of a planned programming change and was not related to the lawsuit.

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