The following note was shared by John Catsimatidis Jr. on his LinkedIn page. Catsimatidis Jr., President & Chief Operating Officer at Red Apple Group, is the son of 77 WABC owner-operator John Catsimatidis. The entire 77 WABC family continues to mourn the senseless and heartbreaking loss of Charlie Kirk.
(New York, NY) — Wednesday, September 10, 2025, my dear friend of nearly a decade, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated in cold blood. The loss is incomprehensible, a wound to the heart of everyone who knew him, and to the soul of a nation he tirelessly served. I met Charlie in early 2016 when we were both 22. We were introduced through a friend because we were both building conservative political communities aimed at bringing young people into the movement. Many people you meet in this political world are competitive, but not Charlie. He had such clarity and understood that to build a movement, you needed to build friendships.
Charlie and I spent our time together talking about how to help America — we’d talk about everything from particular political horse races to the importance of gratitude as an actual practice. Although he was my peer in age, he was and remains a role model for me and many Americans. I used to tease him that he’d be President of the United States one day. Everyone around him, close friends or casual acquaintances, believed it too. He’d laugh it off. He was truly uninterested in the spotlight. He focused only on the mission: to build a nation where freedom and opportunity thrive.
He told me Turning Point USA would be a force. And it is. It grew from a fledgling operation with a shoestring budget to a world-impacting political movement with a budget of over $100 million, reaching millions of young Americans.
Charlie was a man of unshakable conviction, driven not by ambition but by a calling to serve God, his family, and his country. He didn’t start off talking about his faith and family, but as he grew, I think he realized how important it was to share his whole life and that conservatism without faith and family was impossible. He inspired a whole generation of young men and women to be open about their faith.
At 22, he had the same fire, the same clarity of purpose, that defined him at 31. Fame, glory, and recognition were never his goals. He was one of the most focused people I’ve ever met. His value system was integrated into all parts of his life. He was brilliant, in every sense of the word, from his parenting advice to his political strategy to his belief in the power of God.
Charlie had a rare gift, one few possess in a generation. Everyone felt like they were his best friend. Whether at a small birthday gathering of 12 people or a Turning Point USA dinner with 1,000 of his “closest friends,” he made you feel as if you were the main guest.
He epitomized the type of citizen the Founding Fathers would have wanted to inherit this country. He believed in active participation, virtue, and responsibility. He exercised his freedom of speech, he stood up for what he believed in, he organized crowds, he respected the rule of law, and he defended our liberty. He died doing so.
As I sit in the pain of his loss, I feel both unbridled anger and debilitating grief. It’s tempting to ask God “why,” and to let rage consume us. I cannot fathom the agony endured by his beautiful family. Charlie, a devoted Christian, might have reminded us that this is part of God’s plan, even if we cannot grasp its purpose. What we do know is this: the messages he preached will endure, and the mission will continue.
Charlie was a patriot, known globally to those who never met him. The far left called him too extreme; the far right, not extreme enough. But Charlie was a bridge builder. He believed prosperity and faith were antidotes to violence, communism, and socialism. In this moment of anguish, it’s easy to descend into chaos or vengeance. But I don’t think Charlie would want that. He’d want us to channel our grief into fueling his mission.
No retribution can right this wrong. The death penalty, though justified, feels insufficient. Nothing will balance the scales. We can honor Charlie by doing what he did every day: fighting for what’s right. His legacy demands it. I was proud to call Charlie a close friend, a business partner, and most importantly, a mentor. Up until the end, we were working together on what we’d build over the next few decades for our country. Charlie, that work won’t stop. You are still here with us.
Charlie’s life mattered. So does yours. The movement he started will grow stronger. His death will not be in vain. Let’s ensure his vision endures, not through violence, but through the relentless pursuit of a better America.
Remember his name.
-John Catsimatidis Jr.
9/11/2025
