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Herman Cain dies following battle with coronavirus
The longtime Atlanta radio host and former presidential hopeful was hospitalized in late June.
ATLANTA - Former presidential candidate and longtime Atlanta radio personality Herman Cain died Thursday from complications of the novel coronavirus.
The 74-year-old conservative activist had been hospitalized for a month at a Metro Atlanta area medical center.
One of the final public photos of Herman Cain was taken June 20, 2020, at a campaign rally for President Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Ten days later, the Henry County businessman was rushed to the hospital with breathing problems, diagnosed with COVID-19.
Dan Calabrese, the editor of HermanCain.com, announced Cain's death on the website early Thursday.
"We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight," Calabrese wrote. "He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle."
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In an earlier post on the website, Calabrese wrote that Cain and his staff did not know where or how he had contracted the coronavirus.
Although there has been speculation Cain was exposed at the Trump rally in Tulsa, Calabrese wrote that Cain had traveled several times that week.
Eight Trump advance team staffers who attended the Tulsa rally later tested positive for the virus.
Earlier this week, Cain's staff released an update, saying he was still hospitalized but was recovering with the help of supplemental oxygen.
"There were hopefully indicators, including a mere five days ago, when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldn't be quick," Calabrese wrote.
But, he noted, there were signs Cain was struggling.
"We also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where doctors could advance him to the recovery phase," he wrote.
Herman Cain was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer in 2006.
His age and medical history may have made him more vulnerable to complications of the virus.
Until the very end, Calabrese wrote, Cain's family and staff held out hope he would beat the odds and recover.
"Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer," Calabrese wrote. "We all prayed so hard every day."
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