Who was Marc Bernier? "Mr. Anti-Vax" trends after radio host who compared vaccination to Nazism dies of COVID-19

Marc Bernier aka "Mr. Anti-Vax" has passed away due to COVID-19 related health complications, nearly a month after comparing the vaccination system to Nazism. The radio host took his last breath on Saturday, 29 August 2021. He was 65 at the time of his passing.

He was associated with the WNDB radio station for nearly three decades. News of his death was confirmed by the network:

“It’s with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for over 30 years. We kindly ask that privacy is given to Marc’s family during this time of grief.”

Marc Bernier has consistently spoken out against the COVID-19 vaccination in public during his lifetime. On July 30, Nikki Fried, Democratic Agriculture Commissioner of Florida, took to social media to urge people to get vaccinated. To strengthen her plea, she used a reference from the defeat of the Nazis:

“The greatest generation had to defeat the Nazis to preserve our way of life, you’re only being asked to get a shot. So be a patriot.”

In response, the conservative host compared the COVID-19 vaccination program to Nazism:

“Should say, ‘Now the US Government is acting like Nazi's. Get the shot!’”

A few days later he tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the hospital for three weeks until his death. Following his demise, "Mr. Anti-Vax" ended up on Twitter's trending page as people started discussing the ironic situation.

Marc Bernier’s death comes amid a huge surge in the deadly Delta variant of the virus. The state of Florida has been grappling with a daily rise in cases including regular deaths and hospitalizations.

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A look into Marc Bernier’s life as Twitter reacts to his demise

Marc Bernier was a veteran radio show host and TV broadcaster based in Florida (Image via Getty Images)

Marc Bernier was a veteran radio and TV host based in Florida. He is best known as the host of The Marc Bernier Show, which aired on weekdays at the WNDMB station. He was also part of the Gordon Deal Morning Show on the same network.

The broadcaster grew up in Rhode Island and initially hosted radio show segments in New England before moving to Florida in 1990. He then served as an executive producer on Steve Crowley's American Scene and also launched his own national coast-to-coast radio show, The American Forum.

He started working as a mid-day talk show host on WFHG FM-AM in Bristol in October 1999 and continued until December 2008.

In addition to a vast radio career spanning around 30 years, Marc has also hosted cable TV shows in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Florida. He was appointed as a Special Assistant to the President for Government and Community affairs, at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in January 2009.

He also served as the moderator and producer of The President's Speakers Series, a show consisting of live interviews with public policy experts concerning foreign and domestic policies.

He hosted a weekly book review show called BookMarc. He also appeared as a guest host on a quarterly show called The Marc Bernier Restaurant Show. Marc was a finalist for the 2003 Marconi Awards. He was also featured on Talker Magazine’s top 100 most important talk show hosts for the last 14 years.

However, the radio show host recently earned severe criticism on social media for publicly protesting against COVID vaccination. He was also dubbed as “Mr. Anti-Vax” for his constant opinion against the program. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month and lost his life to the disease.

Netizens immediately flocked to Twitter to react to Marc Bernier’s death:

Following Marc’s passing, his family has reportedly urged people on social media to wear masks. Apart from that, they have also expressed their wish to grieve in private.

Irrespective of his ideologies, Marc Bernier would be deeply missed by friends and family alike.

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