Longtime Fox News chief Roger Ailes has died at the age of 77, his family has said.

Ailes was one of the most influential figures in media and politics over the past three decades. After working in a senior media role in the George H.W. Bush campaign in 1988, Ailes was recruited by Rupert Murdoch to become the CEO of the fledgling Fox News channel in 1996. Over the next two decades, he built it into one of America’s most powerful media brands.

But last year he was forced to resign after facing a barrage of sexual harassment accusations from female Fox News staffers. His departure was followed by the firing of Bill O’Reilly earlier this year, also over sexual harassment allegations.