David Horowitz, a former 1960s radical and far-left Marxist who later switched sides to become one of conservatism’s greatest cheerleaders and influencers, is gone.
Horowitz died of cancer Tuesday at age 86 in his home in Colorado, the New York Times reported.
Born in New York City in 1939, Horowitz said, he was raised “a sheltered child in a Marxist bubble” in a home where his parents were schoolteachers and belonged to the American Communist Party, the Times wrote.
He founded a leftist magazine at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1960s and later was co-editor of another influential leftist publication, Ramparts, which “celebrated the Black Panther Party.”
Disillusioned by the unsolved death of a friend, which Horowitz believed was at the hands of members of the Black Panthers, Horowitz began “a 10-year transformation” from radical leftism to conservatism, according to a video shared on Horowitz’s channel on the social media platform X.
On behalf of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, we are very saddened to announce the passing of the Center’s founder, David Horowitz. After a lengthy battle with cancer, David passed yesterday at the age of 86.
David Horowitz, 1939-2025. Requiescat in pace. pic.twitter.com/F47yooJL3K
— David Horowitz (@horowitz39) April 29, 2025
He later joined a friend, Peter Collier, first in writing books about powerful American families — like the Rockefellers and the Kennedys — and later in co-authoring a 1985 Washington Post Magazine article describing their U-turn toward conservatism.
The two “explained that they had decided to vote for President Ronald Reagan out of frustration with the left’s ‘anti-Americanism’ and ‘casual indulgence of Soviet totalitarianism,’ among other issues,” the Washington Post reported.
Later, the outlet said, Horowitz reinvented himself “as a conservative commentator and provocateur,” speaking on college campuses and writing scores of books, including “Big Agenda: President Trump’s Plan to Save America,” which became a bestseller in 2017.
Horowitz “appeared frequently on television, particularly on Fox News, where he denounced President Barack Obama as ‘an evil man’ who was ‘destroying our borders,’” the Post wrote.
One of many books Horowitz wrote was “Barack Obama’s Rules for Revolution: The Alinsky Model,” which warned that 1960s radical Saul Alinsky “urged his followers to be flexible and opportunistic and say anything to get power, which they can then use to destroy the existing society and its economic system.”
Many conservatives posted tributes to Horowitz on social media, recalling the powerful influence he had, particularly on younger generations.
Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of the conservative group Turning Point USA, posted a lengthy tribute to Horowitz, calling him “a father of modern conservatism.”
Rest in peace to my friend and mentor David Horowitz, who has just passed away. A fearless truth-teller, David was a titan in the battle of ideas and a warrior for Western civilization.
David grew up on the hard Left and remained a committed Marxist into his 30s. But he had the… pic.twitter.com/7QucnlO1Lf
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 29, 2025
Kirk wrote that Horowitz and his David Horowitz Freedom Center had a profound influence on many young conservatives: “He believed in young leaders long before the world did.”
Kirk and many others mentioned Horowitz’s influence on Stephen Miller, now President Donald Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff, whom Horowitz met when Miller was a high school student.
“He supported him through Duke, through the Senate, and into the Trump White House. Today, Stephen is one of the most impactful architects of America First immigration policy. A legend thanks to David’s mentorship.”
Kirk praised Horowitz’s books, but even more so, his boldness in confronting leftists face to face.
“David didn’t just write. He debated,” he wrote.
“He showed up. He walked into hostile auditoriums and faced down Marxist professors, Islamist apologists, and race hustlers—armed only with truth, moral clarity, and a sharp tongue.
“Back in 1999, David called out the Left’s weaponization of civil rights and its growing hatred of white people—a topic so radioactive that most conservatives avoided it for two more decades. He said what others were afraid to even whisper.”
Several admirers posted a video of Horowitz confronting a young woman on the campus of the University of California at San Diego. “This video of him in 2010 shows his gift for cutting through the noise,” one wrote. “He gives me hope for the young Marxist Jews on college campuses today.”
Today we lost a Titan, David Horowitz
This video of him in 2010 shows his gift for cutting through the noise
He started his life as a radical communist, but ended on the right
He gives me hope for the young Marxist Jews on college campuses today
— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) April 30, 2025
Another poster, Gabriella Hoffman, wrote, “I hosted David Horowitz at UC-San Diego 15 years ago- May 10th, 2010 – and the event went viral after a female member of the pro-Palestine group agreed she’s ‘for it’ – a Second Holocaust. Years later, his exchange with my former classmate continues to go viral.”
I hosted David Horowitz at UC-San Diego 15 years ago- May 10th, 2010 – and the event went viral after a female member of the pro-Palestine group agreed she’s “for it” – a Second Holocaust. Years later, his exchange with my former classmate continues to go viral.
He was a former… https://t.co/Gt56VS4G4a pic.twitter.com/qBjt6sUFdj
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) April 29, 2025
Hoffman added, “He was a former communist who saw the light and lectured to campuses everywhere.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
