Former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes passed away this morning, according to a statement released by his wife, Elizabeth. He was 77.
"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."
The Ohio-born media mogul founded Fox News in 1996 and over two decades built it into one of the nation's longest-running cable news networks. Before that, he was a producer and political consultant, and president of CNBC.
Ailes eventually resigned from his position with Fox in summer 2016, following a sexual harassment lawsuit from former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Another former Fox News host, Megyn Kelly, also painted a not-so-pretty picture of Ailes in her memoir, "Settle For More." Ailes denied all claims made against him.
Ailes' cause of death was a subdural hematoma, which was aggravated by his chronic hemophilia.