Fox News co-founder Roger Ailes dies at age 77

New York : Roger Ailes, the US media mogul who co-founded Fox News and helped redraw conservative American politics, died Thursday less than a year after he was forced out by a sexual harassment scandal. He was 77.

Ailes died of complications from bleeding on the brain following a fall at home in which he hit his head, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner said.

"Hemophilia contributed to his death and his manner of death was accidental," the medical examiner said in a statement.

A longtime confidant of media titan Rupert Murdoch, Ailes was a central figure in conservative US politics for decades.

His five-decade career ended in a blaze of sexual harassment allegations and lawsuit from former Fox News host Gretchen Carlon, which forced him to stand down in July last year. Ailes denied all the allegations.

Donald Trump at the time leapt to his defense, saying that Ailes had been a friend of his for a "long time." Ailes reportedly helped coach the now president for last year's election campaign debates.

His wife Elizabeth announced his death in a short statement read out on Fox News by emotional news anchors. 

Ailes, she said, "was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise -- and to give back."