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POLITICO screen shot Fox News commentator Alan Colmes dead at 66

Alan Colmes, a longtime contributor to Fox News Channel and one of its original prime-time hosts, died Thursday at age 66.

“Alan Colmes passed away this morning after a brief illness,” a statement from Colmes’ family said. “He leaves his adoring and devoted wife, Jocelyn Elise Crowley. He was a great guy, brilliant, hysterical, and moral. He was fiercely loyal, and the only thing he loved more than his work was his life with Jocelyn. He will be missed. The family has asked for privacy during this very difficult time.”

The news was reported on Fox News’ dayside program “America’s Newsroom,” on which Colmes regularly appeared. His former co-host on “Hannity & Colmes,” Sean Hannity, voiced a tribute to his life and career.

“The Fox family, Dr. Jocelyn Colmes, Monica Crowley and me personally have lost one of life’s most decent, kind and wonderful people you’d ever want to meet,” said Hannity in a statement. “When Alan and I started Hannity and Colmes, there wasn’t a day that went by where we didn’t say we were the two most fortunate men in all of television. Despite major political differences, we forged a deep friendship. Alan, in the midst of great sickness and illness, showed the single greatest amount of courage I’ve ever seen. … I’m truly heartbroken at the loss of a dear friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jocelyn, Monica and his entire family. He will be dearly missed.”

Colmes, who got his start in media on talk radio, had been a liberal voice on the cable news channel since it launched in 1996, co-hosting “Hannity & Colmes” alongside Hannity. Colmes co-hosted the program for more than a decade before leaving it in 2009. As a contributor, Colmes continued to appear regularly on Fox News on various programs, often sparring jovially with hosts who disagreed with him.

Since 2003, Colmes had hosted “The Alan Colmes Show,” a weeknight talk-radio program syndicated by Fox News and Sirius XM. He was also the author of two books about politics and a regular blogger on liberaland.com and alan.com.

Colmes' widow, Jocelyn Crowley, is the sister of former Fox News personality Monica Crowley.

Alex Weprin contributed to this report.

