This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.
Top 40 legend Jack "Your Leeeeeeader" Armstrong dead at 63.
We are saddened to report the passing of flame-throwing CHR/top 40 radio legend Jack Armstrong, who died over the weekend at his home in High Point, N.C. He was 63.
Armstrong's daughter Devon described her father's legacy best in this message posted on Jack's MySpace page: "If you knew him at all, you would know that he wouldn't want you to be sad for a moment. He would want you to remember all the good times, what he gave to radio and to the world. He would also want you to help fight to bring back the personality in radio if at all possible. He loved being a DJ almost as much as he loved being a father and that says a lot. He put his blood, sweat and tears into both and never gave up what he believed in. He was honest, brave and could tell a joke like no other! He was the best at everything he did and I know that he touched each and every one of us. Please remember him in all that you do, pass on kindness, be true to yourself and to those you love."
We got a call this morning from a friend of Jack's who had gone to his house yesterday because she couldn't get hold of him. When no one answered the door, she called another friend who went in and found his body. Apparently he died sometime Saturday in an accident, probably a fall.
I used to listen to Jack at night on WKBW when I was a teen in Danville. Them and WGAR were the "real" radio stations that I could pick up at night.
Got to be on an Art Vuolo "Video Aircheck" with him. Not with him, on the same edition. He was in LA at KKHR and I was in Detroit. He did his superspeed show closing rap, with gum in his mouth. Awesome.
We announced it on the show this morning and immediately got calls from his fans in the market. He was huge here in Greensboro.
From a small but nice room at the Sheraton Universal, I recorded Jackson Armstrong on KKHR once. If I recall, it was 1985, and he was doing afternoons (with The Gorilla) against Big Ron at KIIS during its 10-share peak.
