Evangelist and leader of the Moral Majority Jerry Falwell died today at the age of 73. He was found unresponsive in his office at Liberty University and was rushed to a hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia where he was pronounced dead. The exact cause of death is unknown at the present, but he had suffered from heart disease related problems in 2005.

He is best known for his early adoption of television to spread his religious teachings with the Old Time Gospel Hour. He later founded the Moral Majority to act as a lobby group to influence the moral beliefs of his congregation on the legislation of the United States.

He was also known for making controversial statements related to the AIDS epidemic ("God is punishing homosexuals") and the 911 attacks (he blamed abortionists, gays, lesbians, and the ACLU) that put him at odds with these groups.

No matter how you personally feel about Jerry Falwell, it is difficult to dispute his impact on politics in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He showed that it was possible to further your secular views using the political process and established what we now call the "religious right" in America.