presented the award to him at the Port St. Lucie headquarters of Liberty Medical on December 19, 2008. He visited Veterans Administration hospitals and communities to advise patients on how to manage their diseases. His talks about diabetes became an internet phenomenon and a meme due to Brimley's dialectal pronunciation of "diabetes" as "diabeetus" contrasting with his overall serious tone, although both pronunciations have been included in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Brimley supported advertisements to have Utah allow horse-race gambling. He spoke against the banning of cockfighting in New Mexico on the basis of his support of individual rights. He also spoke at a 1998 Phoenix rally opposing an Arizona ballot proposition to ban cockfighting, arguing that a ban could lead to efforts to restrict the use of hunting dogs, which opponents of cockfighting called a distraction from the issue. Brimley enjoyed playing poker and played in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Brimley lent his support to John McCain in the 2008 United States presidential election. In the days leading up to his selection for vice president, McCain jokingly stated that he would pick Brimley: "He's a former Marine and great guy and he's older than I am, so that might work." Death Brimley died at a hospital in St. George, Utah, on August 1, 2020 at age 85 after suffering from a kidney condition for the past two months. Filmography Sources: Film Television Awards and nominations References External links 1934 births 2020 deaths Internet memes 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War American health activists People with type 2 diabetes American people of Danish descent American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Swiss-German descent American people of Welsh descent Latter Day Saints from Utah American male television actors People from Greybull, Wyoming Male actors from Salt Lake City Military personnel from Salt Lake City Utah Republicans Wyoming Republicans Male actors from Wyoming Quaker Oats Company people People from Santa Clara, Utah United States Marines