LYNCHBURG, Va. - Evangelist Jerry Falwell died today at the age of 73.
A Liberty University executive told the Associated Press that Falwell was hospitalized in "gravely serious" condition after being found unconscious in his office earlier this morning.
Ron Godwin, the executive vice president of Falwell's Liberty University, told the AP that Falwell was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Falwell had a history of heart conditions, including two health scares in early 2005, during which he was hospitalized.
As founder of the Moral Majority and the conservative Liberty University, Rev. Falwell was one of the religious right's most influential voices and a staunch opponent of the adult industry.
Falwell famously sued Hustler publisher Larry Flynt for libel and infliction of emotional distress over a 1983 Hustler parody that portrayed the Moral Majority leader having sex with his mother in an outhouse. The case led to a landmark 1988 Supreme Court ruling protecting satire of public figures under the First Amendment.
"The Reverend Jerry Falwell and I were arch enemies for fifteen years," Flynt said in a statement issued this afternoon. "We became involved in a lawsuit concerning First Amendment rights and Hustler magazine. Without question, this was my most important battle – the l988 Hustler Magazine, Inc., v. Jerry Falwell case, where after millions of dollars and much deliberation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in my favor."
"My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like," Flynt continued. "Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling."
"The most important result of our relationship was the landmark decision from the Supreme Court that made parody protected speech, and the fact that much of what we see on television and hear on the radio today is a direct result of my having won that now famous case which Falwell played such an important role in," Flynt said.
Flynt will discuss the news of Falwell's death and his take on the Supreme Court case on Sacramento's KBFX News Radio 1530 AM at 3 PM this afternoon, with repeat broadcasts to air throughout the early evening. He will also guest on the Marc Germain Show on LA's KTLK AM 1150 at 3 p.m this afternoon.
At press time, Flynt is also tentatively scheduled to appear on CNN's Larry King Live tomorrow at 6 p.m.
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