Since he left Boston in 1993, he definitely took a leftward turn. He was a closeted homosexual (not much of a secret when he was in Boston) but was more open about it when he got to the West Coast. Around 2008, he announced that he was putting his libertarianism aside and joining the Democrat Party. It was not too long after that that he began suffering the strokes that would eventually take his life last May.
During the 1985-1993 period, he was the premier radio talk show host in Boston. After that, he seemed to have gone down a bad path. So I will choose to remember him as he was.
That period was also when I listened to his show and he was my favorite. He went on a speaking tour to celebrate his 30th year in talk radio and when I saw him in person I was surprised that someone with such a powerful voice could look so frail and weak. He spoke about the Constitution and how it was being eroded by modern politicians and the speech was brilliant. So I too shall fondly remember this Gene Burns
Last I heard of him he was transferred to New York where he was being readied for national syndication. Then something happened and he dropped out of sight. I knew he had reappeared in San Francisco but never got to hear him speak again. From what I've been reading this sounds like a good thing.