Tony Snow, 53; Fox News host aggressively defended Bush White House as press secretary

Tony Snow, the conservative commentator who brought a flashy, talk-show style of repartee to the job of White House press secretary under President Bush, died Saturday at a Washington hospital after a high-profile battle with colon cancer. He was 53.

Snow joined the Bush administration as press secretary in 2006, a year after he was diagnosed with cancer and his colon was removed. During his 16 months at the White House, he used the skills he had honed as a Fox News anchor and radio talk show host to become one of the strongest voices for an administration whose policies in Iraq and at home were losing popularity.

He re-energized the press room and reveled in the chance to joust with reporters as the cameras rolled. Snow also used his celebrity status, particularly among conservative voters, to become one of the Republican Party's most popular draws at fundraisers and political rallies, raising eyebrows among some who thought the press secretary should stay closer to the podium and not engage in partisanship.

Bush, upon hearing news of Snow's death Saturday, shared what an aide described as a "brief but sweet" phone conversation from Camp David with Snow's wife, Jill.

"It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day," the president said in a written statement. "He brought wit, grace and a great love of country to his work. His colleagues will cherish memories of his energetic personality and relentless good humor."

Snow's fight with cancer continued through his tenure at the White House. He learned in March 2007 that the disease had returned and had spread to his liver. Nevertheless, he returned to the podium several months later after treatment, his famously perfect hair a bit thinned and grayer, and offered himself as a symbol of perseverance and positive thinking.

"Why sit around and bemoan your fate?" he asked. "Go ahead and get in there and, while you're at it, enjoy every moment that you're alive."

It was that attitude that led some friends and colleagues to say Saturday that they had expected Snow to beat the cancer, despite the odds. His mother had died of colon cancer when he was 17.

"He was so optimistic and positive that all of us followed his lead," said Dana Perino, Snow's successor as press secretary.