Rest in Peace, Paul Harvey

RUSH: I want to acknowledge the death of Paul Harvey, who died at age 90. I first met Paul Harvey in Chicago in the early nineties when I was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame there. I met him and his wife ‘Angel,’ and at that induction ceremony is when Sally Jessy Raphael hijacked the thing and convinced them to let her introduce me and present me, and she objected to my being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it outraged Paul Harvey. You know, I was in awe to be in his presence. He was exactly as you would expect him to be. He was totally refined and urbane and dignified, a very serious man — and he loved radio.

He was probably the best ambassador radio has ever had, and two days following this incident at the Radio Hall of Fame, Paul Harvey just tore Sally Jessy Raphael to shreds (not by name) and did a piece on me being the best at what I do. He was not envious of anybody else in the business. He was supportive of everybody in it. He was not jealous of anybody that was in the business. He started the year I was born. He started his career in 1951, the year I was born. He is a large reason why the whole concept of AM radio, talk formats as they exist today are even possible, because he was the pioneer. And he took his share of arrows as well. So rest in peace, Paul Harvey: the greatest ambassador and perhaps performer in the history of radio.