Prominent Political Strategist & Radio Host Dies Of Rare Cancer
By: Janice Park
Updated: October 1, 2009
He was a Monroe business man, radio host, and political adviser who made his own run for congress in 2002.
Last night, at age 43, Lee Fletcher lost his battle with cancer.
Friends say Fletcher was always an underdog. Starting when he was a small child, when his father got rid of him by just dumping him off outside a courthouse. But his grandmother scooped him up to raise him, and from that point on he rose above.
Fletcher was a man who would run countless political campaigns, both on the local and national level. Friends say he was the political mind behind many Louisiana politicians. He also owned his own advertising firm. And could be heard on the airwaves during his radio show 'Town Hall'.
Amanda McMullen says Fletcher was her mentor for 10 years. She met him as a wide-eyed teen, when he taught her to always give people a shot, especially if they've failed.
Today, messages from Fletcher's political friends and adversaries alike came out. Representative Rodney Alexander, who defeated Fletcher at a run for congress, wrote "Lee and I built a friendship marked by good humor...it is hard to imagine Louisiana and Washington without him.
Stuck near his desk is a piece of paper with scotch tape. It's a note that friends say Fletcher lived by: risk more, care more, dream more and expect more than others think is possible.
He died at St. Francis Medical Center at 9:15 Wednesday night, with his 86 year old grandmother by his side. The woman who picked him up from those courthouse steps and raised him. On tv was the roar of the Hawai'i Louisiana Tech game. It was Fletcher's alma mater -- a team he loved. At the time of his death, they were winning 24 to 6.
Friends say Fletcher was always an underdog. Starting when he was a small child, when his father got rid of him by just dumping him off outside a courthouse. But his grandmother scooped him up to raise him, and from that point on he rose above.
Fletcher was a man who would run countless political campaigns, both on the local and national level. Friends say he was the political mind behind many Louisiana politicians. He also owned his own advertising firm. And could be heard on the airwaves during his radio show 'Town Hall'.
Amanda McMullen says Fletcher was her mentor for 10 years. She met him as a wide-eyed teen, when he taught her to always give people a shot, especially if they've failed.
Today, messages from Fletcher's political friends and adversaries alike came out. Representative Rodney Alexander, who defeated Fletcher at a run for congress, wrote "Lee and I built a friendship marked by good humor...it is hard to imagine Louisiana and Washington without him.
Stuck near his desk is a piece of paper with scotch tape. It's a note that friends say Fletcher lived by: risk more, care more, dream more and expect more than others think is possible.
He died at St. Francis Medical Center at 9:15 Wednesday night, with his 86 year old grandmother by his side. The woman who picked him up from those courthouse steps and raised him. On tv was the roar of the Hawai'i Louisiana Tech game. It was Fletcher's alma mater -- a team he loved. At the time of his death, they were winning 24 to 6.
