Controversial conservative pundit Lou Dobbs has died aged 78

It's with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of 'The Great Lou Dobbs'.

Lou was a fighter till the very end - fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country.

Lou's legacy will forever live on as a patriot and a great American.

We ask for your prayers for Lou's wonderful wife, children and grandchildren.

The right-wing pundit's 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' originally premiered on CNN in 1980 as 'Moneyline', with the host fronting the show and serving as CNN's chief economics correspondent.

He later took on the role of ex ecutive vice president at the cable news channel.

To mark 'Moneyline' moving from economic fact to opinion, it was rebranded 'Lou Dobbs Moneyline' before its final 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' title.

Lou presented that form of the show from 2003 until he left CNN in 2009 - moving to Fox Business Network in 2011 and starting a new version of the show.

It was axed in 2021 after Fox was hit with a defamation lawsuit from voting machine vendor Smartmatic, following comments made on-air by Lou and other commentators.

Dobbs was also named in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, which Fox settled for $787.5 million.

'Lou Dobbs Tonight' returned as a streaming program on Lindell TV in January 2024 - with the presenter's fans including Donald Trump, 78, who was backed the pundit.

Donald said on his Truth Social platform: "The Great Lou Dobbs has just passed away - A friend, and truly incredible Journalist, Reporter, and Talent. He understood the World, and what was 'happening,' better than others.

Lou was unique in so many ways, and loved our Country. Our warmest condolences to his wonderful wife, Debi, and family. He will be greatly missed!

Born in Childress County, Texas, in 1945, Lou went to Harvard University and started his reporting career in 1970 as a police and fire reporter for Arizona's KBLU.

He joined CNN when it launched in 1980 and worked in high-powered positions at the network until 2009.

Lou was infamous for promoting 'Birtherism' during Barack Obama's US presidential administration - the false claim the 62-year-old former president was not born in the US.