NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) – Conservative radio host Phil Valentine has died after a long battle with COVID-19. He was 61 years old.
His death was announced by SuperTalk 99.7 WTN on Saturday afternoon after he had been battling the virus for more than a month.
We are very sorry to report that our friend and friend Phil Valentine is dead. Please keep the Valentine family in your thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/vhXpE7x0oX
– SuperTalk 99.7 WTN (@ 997wtn) August 21, 2021
On July 11, Valentine confirmed via her Facebook page that she had been diagnosed with COVID.
He was a prominent voice on Nashville radio for decades.
Valentine moved to speak full-time radio in 1995, but in 2000 received national attention helping organize horn protests against a proposed state income tax in Tennessee.
He aired his conservative radio show from outside the state Capitol and urged people to come by and make noise.
“We’re going to sound a solid one-minute horn and we want you to be involved in that,” Valentine said from his broadcast stand.
Many credit the passionate protests to help defeat the state income tax proposed by a Republican governor.
He later wrote a book on the protests called Tax Revolt.
It was one of several books he wrote during his career.
Valentine often talked about how his father was a Democrat and spent 12 years as a member of the United States Congress.
But Valentine said he left the Democratic Party after Ronald Reagan became president.
His strong opinions helped make his radio show a syndicated one. It was broadcast on stations across the country.
But his greatest influence was in Tennessee.
When Valentine heard that Republican House Speaker Glen Casada lied on his show claiming that NewsChannel 5’s investigation was inaccurate, he activated Casada.
“The cover-up is always worse,” Valentine said.
“I expect honest answers. I don’t expect anyone to use me to spin their story and spin their network,” Valentine said of Casada.
Shortly afterwards, Casada resigned as president after losing the support of most Republican representatives.
Recently, Valentine expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine.
In December 2020, he tweeted: “I have a very low risk of A) having COVID and B) of dying if I do. Why would I risk having a heart attack or paralysis in get the vaccine? “
He even recorded a parody song, Vaxman, mocking the vaccine.
In July, he told his audience that he had COVID and that he hoped to return soon.
But subsequent updates from family and friends indicated how serious it was.
Valentine’s brother said Phil regretted not being more pro-vaccine and wrote that if he went back to the radio he would encourage people to get vaccinated.
According to the family, Valentine fought hard, but could not beat the virus.