Tony-Blankley-Obituary

Tony Blankley

Obituary

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tony Blankley, a conservative author and commentator who served as press secretary to Newt Gingrich during the 1990s, when Republicans took control of Congress, has died. He was 63.

Blankley, who had been suffering from stomach cancer, died Saturday night at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, his wife, Lynda Davis, said Sunday.

In his long career as a political operative and pundit, his most visible role was as a spokesman for and adviser to Gingrich from 1990 to 1997. Gingrich became House Speaker when Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the 1994 midterm elections.

Earlier, Blankley spent six years in the Reagan administration in a variety of positions, including speechwriter and senior policy analyst.

From 2002 to 2007, he served as editorial page editor of The Washington Times. In recent years, he also wrote a syndicated newspaper column and provided political commentary for CNN, NBC and NPR. He was also a regular panelist on "The McLaughlin Group."

He was the author of two books and a visiting senior fellow in national security communications at the Heritage Foundation.

Born in London, Blankley moved to California with his parents as a child and became a naturalized American citizen. He worked as a child actor in the 1950s, appearing in such TV shows as "Lassie" and "Highway Patrol" and playing Rod Steiger's son in the movie "The Harder They Fall."

Before entering politics, he spent 10 years as a prosecutor with the California attorney general's office.

Blankley and Davis lived in Great Falls, Va. In addition to Davis, he is survived by three children.


Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Please accept my sincere condolences and sincere prayers that go out to the surviving family and friends. May the God of comfort continue to bless you and yours especially after such an untimely loss of a very precious life please accept my deepest sympathies. (2 Cor. 1:2, 3).

A gracious and respectable person whose work has done so much to bring so much joy to many of us in these troubled times hard to deal with (2 Tim 3;1). More will continue to have positive experiences from a wonderful and impactful contribution to life and its anxieties.

Really enjoyed listening to him and reading his columns.

Tony will be missed by all who loved him and knew him. What a wonderful man. I will miss him.

Lynda-I have enjoyed knowing you and Tony through your sharing your patriotic speeches at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial. He has been a member of the Friends of the Freedom Memorial. If I can ever be of service to you and your family, I would be happy. Glen Sjoblom, Great Falls 703-430-3714.

Lynda,
It was an honor to have met you and Tony and to have shared such a special evening together on the cruise. Tony's brilliance was only surpassed by his kindness and humility. He truly exemplified the qualities that he so admired in Reagan. The nation has lost a great man. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.

Ode to Tony Blankley

Now you have moved on to shine forever
I wish I could see the faces of the angels you see
Lighted by your torch, by the way you were free
How could we know to what heights you would soar?
To the depths of policy and government you explored
You saw things from a new point of view
That enabled all of us to catch our breath...

...and pause, to look at life anew.

You inspired us on your mission to know more

My condolences to you and your entire family. I am a watcher of Mclaughlin Group and that is how I discovered this tragedy. Too young. I will add Tony and your family in my prayer jar at home and remember him at daily mass. Sympathies,