David and Charlie both lived courageous lives, but David lived his long and fully, while Charlie was cut down by an assassin as a young man.
It was only several months ago that Charlie Kirk wrote a eulogy for David Horowitz.
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 rare courage to question everything, and ultimately reject the radicalism of his youth to become one of the most influential conservative thinkers of our time.
Without David Horowitz, I’m not sure Turning Point USA would exist. David was a lifelong crusader and maverick for the conservative cause. A former communist turned fierce anti-left advocate, he dedicated his life to confronting the ideologies he once embraced.
His David Horowitz Freedom Center was a launchpad for so many voices on the Right—including mine. In 2014, he invited me to speak at his Restoration Weekend, one of the first big breaks of my career. He believed in young leaders long before the world did.
I sat next to Charlie at the 2015 Restoration Weekend in South Carolina. Charlie’s success meant a great deal to David. And Charlie was incredibly generous in writing about David, doing a commentary, and coming to speak at his funeral.
Little did we know that we would be in the sad position of writing Charlie’s obituary only months later.
David and Charlie both lived courageous lives, but David lived his long and fully, while Charlie was cut down by an assassin as a young man.
David Horowitz was frequently threatened by leftists, but outlived them, Charlie did not.
