Veteran journalist Robert Novak died this morning after battling brain cancer for the past year. He was 78.

Best known for his conservative political columns, syndicated around the country, and appearances on cable news, Novak was at the center of the Valerie Plame controversy after he outed her as the CIA agent married to Bush critic Joe Wilson.

In July 2008, Novak made headlines after running down a pedestrian while driving his black corvette. A week later, it was announced that doctors had discovered a brain tumor. When he retired shortly after, Novak told the Chicago Sun-Times, his home paper since 1966, that his prognosis was “dire.”

Novak teamed up with Rowland Evans Jr. to launch their political column “Inside Report” in May 1963, the Sun-Times reported. Evans retired in 1993, and later died in 2001, and Novak continued to write the column alone. In May 2008, Novak marked his column’s 45th anniversary, making it the nation’s longest-running syndicated political column.

Novak also appeared on CNN as an analyst and host and wrote the memoir “The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington.”

Earlier coverage of Robert Novak on FishbowlNY:

Robert Novak Announces Immediate Retirement

Robert Novak: Actually That Whole Valerie Plane Thing Wasn’t Such A Big Deal

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