Rush Limbaugh, the controversial US talk radio host and ally of former president Donald Trump, has died aged 70. Limbaugh said a year ago that he had lung cancer. His death was announced on his radio show by his wife, Kathryn. Unflinchingly conservative, wildly partisan, bombastically self-promoting and larger than life, Limbaugh galvanised listeners for more than 30 years with his talent for sarcastic, insult-laced commentary. Limbaugh with former first lady Melania Trump, right, and his wife Kathryn (AP/Patrick Semansky, File) He called himself an entertainer, but his gleeful rants during his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 US stations shaped the national political conversation, swaying ordinary Republicans and the direction of their party.