Conservative shock jock, Newsmax anchor, voice-over actor and vocal anti-vaxxer Dick Farrel has died after contracting COVID-19. The Queens native was 65.
The radio veteran was beloved by fans for his strong far-right opinions, including that Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, the coronavirus vaccine is of questionable efficacy, and Dr. Anthony Fauci is a “power-tripping lying freak” conspiring with “power trip lib loons,” the Daily Mail reported.
Although Farrel called the vaccine “bogus bull shid” [sic] that’s “promoted by people who lied 2u all along” as recently as July on social media, loved ones now say that, after being hospitalized for the novel virus, Farrel changed his stance on the vaccine.
“COVID Took One Of My Best Friends! RIP Dick Farrel. He is the reason I took the shot!” Farrel’s friend Amy Leigh Hair posted on her Facebook page after his August 4 death. “He texted me and told me to ‘Get it!’ He told me that this virus is no joke and he said: ‘I wish I had gotten it!’ ”
Hair, a noted theatrical sign-language interpreter for Hands On Broadway, is now grateful to have the shot, she told West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV.
“I was one of the people like him who didn’t trust the vaccine. I trusted my immune system. I just became more afraid of getting COVID-19 than I was of any possible side effects of the vaccine. I’m glad I got vaccinated,” she said.
His life partner, Kit Farley, took to Facebook to grieve Farrel’s loss and emphasize the seriousness of COVID-19.
“[He] fought like a tiger. Please don’t put off getting attention for this illness. Yes, for some it has minimal effects, but others it is deadly. We will always love Dick Farrel, always appreciate his spirit, and miss him greatly. He was known as the other Rush Limbaugh. With a heavy heart, I can only say this was so unexpected. He will be missed,” Farley wrote.
Many friends and Floridians recall Farrel for his deep voice, loyalty and passion.
“Dick was a pioneer ‘shock talk’ host, certainly here in South Florida, and a loyal friend both personally and to listeners here for decades,” Hubbard South Florida Creative Director Mick McCabe told WPTV.
“Was he loyal? Unquestionably! Was he skilled? Yessir! His passing is a big loss,” former CBS Radio West Palm Beach market general manager Lee Strasser told the local outlet. “He was a kind-hearted person with a load of passion, and his memory will stand the test of time.”
