Ex-Fox News analyst Snow dies, aged 53

Tony Snow, former White House press secretary and an analyst for the Fox News Channel, has died aged 53.

Snow worked at Fox until 2005, when he took a break after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He was hired by President George W. Bush after the cancer went into remission and worked at the White House until September 2007.

The disease returned and, after a short spell with CNN in April, Snow, who has also worked as a newspaper columnist and radio talkshow host, was hospitalised with exhaustion. He died on Saturday in Washington DC.

Bush said in a statement: "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow. The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father, and America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character."

Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News, said: "I always thought he was a great communicator, and what people don't know about Tony is that he was a genuine intellectual. He had travelled, he understood a lot about foreign policy, he was a writer."