Dick Farrel dead: Anti-vax radio host says 'I wish I had got it' before dying of Covid

Dick Farrel, a radio host who was anti-vaccine, has died of Covid aged 65.

Farrel, who worked as a Newsmax fill-in host in 2018, died in hospital on August 4.

He had urged his listeners not to get vaccinated against the virus as recently as July, and had been a vocal critic of Dr Anthony Fauci, who he said was a "power-tripping lying freak" who conspired with "power trip libb loons".

He reportedly changed his opinion about vaccines after falling ill and being admitted to hospital.

His close friend Amy Leigh Hair claimed on Facebook that he had urged her to get vaccinated.

Dick Farrel, a radio host who was anti-vaccine, has died of Covid aged 65 (Dick Farrel Show/Youtube)

She said: "Covid Took One Of My Best Friends! He is the reason I took the shot!

"He texted me and told me to 'Get it!' He told me this virus is no joke and he said, 'I wish I had gotten [the vaccine]!'"

Writing on Facebook in June, Farrel called the pandemic a "scam"

"So, you think it wasn't a SCAM DEMIC? NOT ONE ELECTED DEMOCRAT ever tested positive," he wrote.

Then last month, he said of the vaccine: "Why take a vax promoted by people who lied to you all along about masks."

Recent studes show the Pfizer vaccine is 96% effective against hospitalisation after two doses, while the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective after both doses.

As of August 7, 194 million people have had at least one dose of the vaccine in the US.

He had urged his listeners not to get vaccinated against the virus as recently as July (Dick Farrel Show/Youtube)

Farrel anchored radio shows in Florida and also acted as a stand-in anchor for the rightwing news outlet Newsmax.

His partner Kit Farley, said: "He was known as the other Rush Limbaugh. With a heavy heart, I can only say this was so unexpected. He will be missed."

Hair told WPTV : "I was one of one the people like him who didn't trust the vaccine. I trusted my immune system.

He reportedly changed his opinion about vaccines after falling ill and being admitted to hospital (Dick Farrel Show/Youtube)

"I just became more afraid of getting Covid-19 than I was of any possible side effects of the vaccine. I'm glad I got vaccinated."

Mick McCabe, creative director of the radio broadcaster Hubbard South Florida, described Farrel as a pioneer "shock talk" host.

McCabe told WPTV: "Dick was a pioneer 'shock talk' host, certainly here in South Florida, and a loyal friend both personally and to listeners here for decades."