Did Turning Point USA co-founder Bill Montgomery die of COVID-19? Here's what we know

After Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot to death in September 2025, a rumor began to spread that the man he co-founded Turning Point USA with, Bill Montgomery, had died of COVID-19 complications. 

One instance of the claim appeared on Bluesky on Dec. 23, 2025: 

(Bluesky user Dom Ervolina)

The post said Montgomery and Kirk opposed both social-distancing measures designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 and gun control laws designed to lower the number of deaths by firearm — implying that policies Montgomery and Kirk stood against may have saved their lives.

The same post also appeared on Threads, Instagram and Facebook. 

Snopes reached out to Montgomery's family and to Turning Point USA inquiring about details of Montgomery's passing, though all of the evidence available indicated the claim was true, as we will outline below. While we could find no record of where he died, it was likely in Illinois, where he spent most of his life. Illinois' state Department of Public Health does not release death certificates to people other than close family members or those with a property claim, which means we could not verify a cause of death through official documents.

A July 29, 2020, report by Politico said Montgomery died the day before of COVID-19 complications. The article cited two of Montgomery's friends to back the assertion. One of the friends, conservative influencer Caleb Hull, also posted about Montgomery on X (then Twitter) the day of his death (archived):

Hull's post included four images, including photographs of himself with Montgomery. The first image was a statement by Hull that said Montgomery had "lost his fight against COVID-19" (emphasis ours):

Bill Montgomery was my best friend, my mentor, and someone I looked up to like a father for the last 5 years, but today he lost his fight against COVID-19. I've been at a loss for words the last two weeks and have constantly been sick to my stomach as I've watched his health go up and down and I just never thought it could be him that would go. If you ever met Bill, you know this is a huge loss for the world.

Further, a detailed obituary (archived) on the website of Neptune Society, a company that specializes in affordable cremations and funeral planning, provided more information about the circumstances of Montgomery's death (emphasis ours):

William Thomas Montgomery, "Bill", conservative political activist, mentor, family man and friend to all passed away July 28, 2020 at 8:26am from COVID-19. Bill was 80 years young.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Edie, his son, daughter, step-daughter, son-in law, grandchildren and (two) great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his sister, mother and father.

Snopes contacted the company for confirmation that the obituary came from Montgomery's family and accurately reflected Montgomery's cause of death.

The obituary also announced Turning Point USA would host a livestream memorial service for Montgomery in August 2020. That video appeared on Turning Point USA's YouTube account. A search on the transcript of this video using keywords like "COVID," "coronavirus," "pandemic," "epidemic," "sick," "illness" and "health" returned no evidence that the speakers mentioned the cause of his death.

Meanwhile, the website Legacy.com, which compiles obituaries, included Montgomery's name in its "Coronavirus Memorial" page.

A July 30, 2020, report by Business Insider said that the day before Montgomery's death, the Twitter account of Turning Point USA had posted a meme mocking protective masks — one of the precautions authorities recommended to prevent COVID-19 infection. Turning Point USA had then deleted it after reports multiplied that Montgomery had died of the disease.

Snopes examined several rumors about Turning Point USA and Kirk following his death on Sept. 10, 2025, including the claim he once said some gun deaths were "worth it" to have the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.