Charles Krauthammer, Conservative Thinker and Pulitzer Prize Winner, Dies at 68

Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize winner, author, and conservative commentator has died. He was 68.

His death came after he wrote a letter to colleagues and friends on June 8 that said, “I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me…"

“Recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.”

Charles Krauthammer was a celebrated political analyst, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and an author. But it didn't begin that way.  

A diving accident in medical school left Krauthammer paralyzed from the neck down. 

After medical school, a once in a lifetime opportunity landed him in Washington. He took a job with the Jimmy Carter administration, eventually becoming a speechwriter for Vice President Walter Mondale. 

He would use those same writing skills as a columnist for the Washington Post and commentator for Fox News. Before long, Krauthammer became a household name. 

Fans say he brought civility, brilliance, and humor to the political hemisphere.  

In August 2017 Krauthammer was treated for a form of cancer which took him off the air. 

Less than a year later, he wrote a letter to his colleagues at the Washington Post announcing the cancer had returned. 

"I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation's destiny," he said in his farewell letter.