Roger Ailes, the founder of Fox News Channel who created a conservative media powerhouse before getting taken down by a storm of sexual harrassment allegations, died Thursday morning. He was 77.

“I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning,” his wife Elizabeth Ailes said in a statement first posted by the Drudge Report. “Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back. During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life.”