Writer and journalist Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
Murphy wrote for newspapers, also appeared on radio and TV during decades-long media career CBC News · Posted: May 09, 2024 7:40 PM EDT
Rex Murphy, the controversial Newfoundland-born pundit and wordsmith whose writing and often-blistering commentaries were the focus of a decades-long career in Canadian media, has died at the age of 77, according to the National Post.
"You might not agree with every word that he said, but oh, boy, could he say it," said comedian and fellow Newfoundlander Mark Critch, who performed an impression of Murphy on This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
In a report published on the Post's website on Thursday, the newspaper said Murphy died after a battle with cancer.
I thought about Rex a lot the last couple of days. It will take time to fully understand how his departure will affect us. We have lost a voice of reason and a spring of sober, second thought.
Rex spoke to the average Canadian, but those in government clearly heard what he said as well. He gave everyone something to think about. I never thought he would ever leave us. Like many others, I was surprised to learn that cancer had taken him.
I only knew of Rex by what he wrote, and how he wrote it. His messages were always clear. Be fair. Be kind. Help others. He had a simple philosophy that everyone should be free to do what they wanted, but realized that much of the world was not that way. There were times when people had to push back.
Rex recognized the goodness of the individual was more important than the existence of government. Governments change, but individual beliefs rarely shift. Over the years, he came under fire from Ottawa, the CBC and the National Post among others, but was never silenced. His writings were honest, defined, and to the point. That made him a polarizing influence.
His thinking was not essentially political, but could be politically motivated. If he saw something wrong, he wrote about it. If he believed there was a better way of tackling a problem, he told us. Canadians who followed him for a long time would recognize his philosophy of fairness and helpfulness to all. He often spoke of government as a hindrance, or it being misguided. And that was any government, regardless of party. It was a line he walked and he was good at it. People have labelled him a Conservative, but I saw him as a libertarian.
When you are paid to comment on current events, it is impossible not to step on someone's toes. His convictions were based on what he believed humanity should aspire to, and what it deserved. If you listened carefully, you could hear him speak of the incorrectness delivered haphazardly by governments (or other organizations) that unnecessarily hurt ordinary people. He did it in a way that few could emulate.
We need someone who will fill the void left by his passing. We need a voice that can speak to us in an honest, open way. Someone who will make us think and offer alternatives.
Someone will come along, but right now, most of us simply feel the loss. It will pass, but it still hurts.
I was introduced to Rex via the dreaded CBC radio when he hosted “Cross Canada Checkup”. This was before the CBC lost its way and when they actually produced decent programming mostly due to staff like Rex. At that time, I worked every third Sunday and if the work slowed I would tune in and listen to Rex. There was nothing else like his Sunday radio show anywhere else. It was absolutely entertaining, insightful and intelligent. Like you Steve, these last few days has me thinking back and fondly remembering this great Canadian.
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