A conservative radio host from Tennessee who had been skeptical of the coronavirus vaccine until he was hospitalized with COVID-19 has died. He was 61 years old.
Nashville radio station SuperTalk 99.7 WTN confirmed Phil Valentine’s death in a tweet on Saturday.
Valentine had been skeptical of coronavirus vaccines. But after testing positive for COVID-19, and prior to his hospitalization, he told his listeners to ask themselves, “If I get this COVID thing, do I have a chance of dying from it?” In case the answer was “yes”, he advised them to get vaccinated. He added that he chose not to get vaccinated because he thought he probably would not die.
After Valentine was transferred to the intensive care unit, Mark Valentine said his brother regretted that he was “not a more outspoken supporter of the vaccine.”
“I know if he could tell you this, he would tell you, ‘Go get vaccinated. Stop worrying about politics. Stop worrying about all the conspiracy theories, ”Mark Valentine told The Tennessean on July 25.
“He regrets not being more persistent about getting the vaccine. Take care of the damn data, ”added Mark Valentine.
Phil Valentine had been a radio personality since he was 20 years old and became a famous conservative broadcaster by opposing a state tax proposed by then-Republican Governor Don Sundquist, The Tennessean reported.
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