Conservative pioneer William F Buckley Jr dies at 82
William F Buckley was a critic of President Bush with regards to the Iraq war
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Thursday, 28, Feb 2008 12:34
The conservative US author and commentator William F Buckley Jr has died at the age of 82.
Mr Buckley was found dead in his study on Wednesday morning in Stamford, Connecticut.
His son, Christopher Buckley said the Firing Line host had died "with his boots on, after a lifetime of riding tall in the saddle".
"He founded a magazine, wrote over 50 books, influenced the course of political history, had a son, had two grandchildren and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean three times," Christopher Buckley said.
"He really didn't leave any stone unturned."
The cause of death is currently unknown but sources close to the former conservative claimed he had been ill with emphysema.
Mr Buckley had been an editor, columnist, novelist, debater and the host of the TV talk show Firing Line from 1966 to 1999.
The magazine he founded, National Review, pledged to continue Mr Buckley's work.
"Our deepest condolences to Christopher and the rest of the Buckley family. And our fervent prayer that we continue to do WFB [William F Buckley]'s life's work justice," a post on the magazine's website said.
US president George Bush called Mr Buckley a great political thinker saying: "He influenced a lot of people, including me. He captured the imagination of a lot of people."
Mr Buckley had recently criticised the president, calling the current Iraq war a failure.
"If you had a European prime minister who experienced what we've experienced, it would be expected that he would retire or resign," he said in an interview in 2006.