Paul Harvey, 1918-2009. R.I.P.

Radio legend Paul Harvey has died. He was 90. The cause of his death is unknown.

He worked for more than seven decades in radio. His health declined over the past year and the passing of his wife of 67 years certainly did not help matters. But he kept on working until last week doing what he loved.

I first remember listening to him during my early teen years in Thunder Bay, Ontario on CJLB. I listened to both "News & Comment" and "The Rest Of The Story." His deep voice and his staccato delivery replete with dramatic pauses made him unlike anything I have ever heard before or since.

Probably my favorite "Rest Of The Story" was his telling of Tom Dempsey's NFL record 63 yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints in 1970 (a record since tied by Jason Elam in 1998 while with the Denver Broncos.) I remember that story because Harvey revealed that Dempsey kicked the goal without having any toes on his right foot.

Harvey was a magnificent story teller who could also arguably be considered the first conservative talk radio personality. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and scores of others certainly owe a small measure of their success to Harvey. It will now be up to them to tell us the rest of the story.