Former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes Dead

Former Fox News chairman and CEO, Roger Ailes died Thursday morning. He was 77.

Ailes' death was first reported by the website Drudge Report.

Both the Drudge Report and the Fox News network shared a statement from Ailes’ wife Elizabeth Ailes announcing the death.

“I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning,” the statement said. “During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life.”

Read: Who Was Roger Ailes? With Donald Trump Debate-Megyn Kelly Debate Feud, Former Fox CEO Accused Of Playing 'Games'

Ailes resigned as the head of Fox News in July 2016 after 20 years of leading the network, amid sexual harassment allegations.

His cause of death was not immediately announced. However, a series of tweets from New York magazine editor Gabriel Sherman on Thursday morning seemed to hint that Ailes could have died from a blood-related condition.

Ailes suffered from hemophilia. He provided a brief glimpse into what it was like living with the condition in a biography published in 2013.

"Because of my hemophilia, I’ve been prepared to face death all of my life. As a boy, I spent a lot of time in hospitals. My parents had to leave at the end of visiting hours, and I spent a lot of time just lying there in the dark, thinking about the fact that any accident could be dangerous or even fatal," Ailes told author Zev Chafets. "So I’m ready. Everybody fears the unknown. But I have a strong feeling there’s something bigger than us. I don’t think all this exists because some rocks happened to collide. I’m at peace. When it comes, I’ll be fine, calm. I’ll miss life, though. Especially my family."

In what would turn out to be the latter months of his life, Ailes became involved in the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump by advising the then-real estate mogul in advance of his debates against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The move was made less than a month after Ailes resigned from Fox News over the sexual harassment claims.

Ailes founded Fox News in 1996, with the network serving as a voice for the conservative political movement that has typically been embraced by the Republican Party. Shortly after the news of his death broke, Ailes was being remembered in part for his visionary leadership when it came to "American politics and media," Fox News personality Sean Hannity tweeted Thursday morning.

Laura Ingraham, a radio show host who offers conservative political commentary, called Fox News "one of the most important and successful media outlets in American history."