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Cigar mag pays tribute to Rush Limbaugh after death from lung cancer, Internet says 'best anti-smoking ad ever'

Cigar Aficionado, a lifestyle magazine run by Limbaugh's close pal Marvin Shanken, paid tribute to the media icon who had a passion for cigars

Rush Limbaugh, a conservative behemoth who transformed talk radio and politics from behind the microphone, died on Wednesday, February 17 at the age of 70 after a long battle with lung cancer. Cigar Aficionado, a lifestyle magazine run by Limbaugh's close friend Marvin Shanken, paid tribute to the influential media icon who had a passion for cigars — sparking backlash from critics.

Calling Limbaugh "a giant among cigar smokers," Cigar Aficionado tweeted a link to a story by editor-in-chief Shanken himself, who recounted his friendship with Limbaugh and the latter's love of attending cigar events. “I can’t count the number of cigars we smoked together, just the two of us,” Shanken wrote, recalling their dinners together on the golf course.

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Twitter users, however, appeared to gloss over Shanken's tribute to an old friend and turned their attention to one missing detail in the article — Limbaugh's cause of death. Lung cancer is a disease often caused by smoking, including cigars.

"This is arguably the most effective anti-smoking ad I've ever seen," one tweeted. "omg you idiots. he died of lung cancer. this is like the world's darkest joke," another added. "This is like a hitman writing the obituary for the guy he killed," a third wrote. "Thank you for taking care of Rush for us! That was long enough to listen to his BS," another chimed in.

Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Donald Trump in January 2020, days after the radio icon announced he had Stage IV lung cancer. The radio icon was presented America's highest civilian honor by then-First Lady Melania Trump in an emotional moment at her husband's State of the Union address.

In his tribute, Shanken remembered how he spent countless hours playing with Limbaugh at the Old Palm Golf Club in Florida, noting how the latter "always sat by my side" at his cigar dinners. "In all of our time together at events and on the golf course people would come up to him and tell him how much they love him, and he was always gracious with their requests for photos with him," Shanken said of his late pal. "He was truly a man of the people."

"What nobody knows is that while Rush and I rarely spoke on the telephone, what we did do was constantly text. The contents of those messages could fill a 600-page-book," he continued. "Going way back, we would talk about life, cigars, and politics. We could always talk about people, the world, and the future. During election years we would go back and forth on the candidates, who would win and why, and what that meant for our country. Clearly, he was very savvy."

In conclusion, Shanken said "Rush was an important part of my life for nearly 30 years. I can’t count the number of cigars we smoked together, just the two of us. While I will miss him, I also know that many millions of his friends and listeners across our country share in this loss."