John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. was an American radio talk show host and philanthropist. As a radio host he was famous as well as notorious for his controversial sense of humor and rude in-your-face comments that were both entertaining and offensive. He rose to fame with the nationally syndicated talk show, ‘Imus in the Morning’, which was first aired in 1971. Already a popular radio personality at the time the show premiered, he touched even greater heights of fame when the talk show became a sensational favorite with the audience. Well known for his style of “insult humor”, he was credited with introducing the New York radio community to the shock jock style of hosting which comes naturally to him. Raised on a big ranch in Arizona, Don Imus had a rough childhood marked by a troubled adolescence and his parents’ divorce. He assumed the image of a tough cowboy to deal with life’s challenges and even had a few brushes with the law. Eventually he decided to get serious about life and began a career as a radio disc jockey. He found great success in this profession due to his unconventional sense of humor and also gained quite a few critics. Don Imus was also well known for his involvement in philanthropic works.