Tributes are pouring in for the late conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh.

And perhaps none of them was more potent and profound than what Fox News’ Sean Hannity had to say.

The longtime Fox News anchor dedicated his opening monologue to the radio titan, calling Limbaugh a “great patriot.”

“He was an innovator,” Hannity said. “He was a pioneer. He was a trailblazer. He fought every single day to make this country a more perfect union and a better place.”

Like many others who paid their respects to Limbaugh, Hannity was no different in expressing his gratitude for the principles the longtime radio host stood for.

“It wasn’t just [if you were] a conservative or a Republican,” Hannity continued. “His love for country and the people who live here was boundless.”

Perhaps most interesting of all the words spoken in Hannity’s tribute was how he talked about Limbaugh’s crucial value to the cable news giant.

Hannity said that in a way, Limbaugh is responsible for the success of Fox News.

“He also paved the way even for this network, Fox News,” he said.

“And even opinion shows on left-wing networks, not that they’d ever acknowledge it.”

“There is no talk radio as we know it without Rush Limbaugh,” Hannity added. “There’s no Fox News or even some of these other opinionated cable networks.”

You can jump to this link to watch the entire monologue.

And you can watch Hannity mourn Limbaugh’s passing when the news broke early Wednesday:

The Horn editorial team