NPR host Neal Conan, 'founding father of our public radio system,' dies of brain tumor at 71
Longtime NPR host Neal Conan died Tuesday of glioblastoma, the media organization announced. He was 71.
Conan hosted NPR's "Talk of the Nation" for 11 years. After spending 36 years with the organization, he moved to Hawaii to become a macadamia nut farmer and served as a commentator for Hawaii Public Radio.
From 2017 to 2018, he returned to national radio for a show called "Truth, Politics and Power," which aimed to use "in-depth conversations (to) help listeners learn the history, politics and risks of the decisions behind President Trump and his administration," according to the show's bio.
Conan was NPR's second-ever foreign correspondent, according to his nephew, former NPR journalist JJ Sutherland. Remembering Conan's career and legacy, NPR journalist Robert Siegel recalled Conan's "crash course" in hosting "Talk of the Nation" – his first day on the job was in 2001, just a day before 9/11.
"I was lucky enough to be part of establishing what I think is now a really important news organization in this country, and for NPR News to have advanced so far from the organization that it was when I joined it and become so important," Conan told Sutherland in an interview earlier this year.
"And there's never been a more important time for an independent news organization in this country than right now. So, that, I think more than anything, is what I would like to be remembered for."
Conan learned he had a malignant brain tumor on his 70th birthday in 2019, according to NPR.
"He would fly to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment, where the prognosis was never encouraging. But his friends and fans hoped against hope that he might somehow pull this one out," NPR journalist Robert Siegel recalled in an obituary for the radio outlet.
Tributes to Conan poured in on social media. Former NPR political editor Ken Rudin shared an old photo of the two together, recalling having "so much fun" with his friend.
"At some point soon I'll talk more about him. Right now I'm just sad," he wrote. "Rest in Peace, my friend."
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Lulu Garcia-Navarro called Conan's passing "incredibly sad news for NPR and journalism."
"@nealconan was an extraordinary journalist who was a ‘founding father’ of our public radio system," Garcia-Navarro added. "His hosting skills were miraculous and he could hold the air and distill complex issues live for hours on ‘Talk Of The Nation’. RIP."
"As a journalist he was passionate about getting it right," Sutherland wrote Tuesday. "As a radio producer, his rigorous commitment to excellence defined the NPR style of storytelling and sound that we now take for granted. Neal told me repeatedly how grateful he was to be part of NPR's creation. And to help build its future."
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