WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dec. 27 (DPI) – Obituaries today summarizing the life of Don Imus varied in their treatment of the boundary-pushing, high-IQ shock-jock. But most readers, where they had the chance to comment, expressed no sympathy for his passing.

Imus, who dominated the radio airwaves in the 90s with his combination of vulgar and sometimes racist humor, sharp insights on politics and culture, and an uncannily effective style of interviewing powerful people, died this week at the age of 79.

The NYT’s treatment of Imus’s life grappled with who exactly he was – a provocative raconteur as well as an edgy and unpredictable radio personality. One paragraph in the NYT obit seemed to confirm that Imus had no fear of the powerful and influential:

In the more printable Imus lexicon, Dick Cheney was “a war criminal,” Hillary Rodham Clinton was “Satan,” Oprah Winfrey “a fat phony,” Newt Gingrich “a man who would eat roadkill,” Ted Kennedy “a fat slob,” Steve Forbes “a meanspirited creep,” Dan Rather “a loony,” Rush Limbaugh “a drug-addled gas bag.” Many listeners detected the toxins of Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Mort Sahl or Groucho Marx.

The NYT did not include a comment board with the obituary. Nor did wsj.com.

Imus’s career was derailed by a racist remark he made in 2007 when, egged on by his longtime on-air sidekick Bernard McGirck, he called members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy headed hos.” The remark was repeated for years, as well as in all of the obituaries of Imus today.

The most popular comment reacting to Imus’s death on WashingtonPost.com: “By all that is holy and good, let Rush Limbaugh be next. Today. ”

The other popular comments on WashingtonPost.com:

Remember when we used to think Imus was the crudest guy from the New York area? 

Wrinkly, racist, drug addict Don Imus has looked like a corpse since around 1998. I guess he made it official.

Never speak poorly of the dead. Imus is dead. Good.

And the world is a better place without him.