Tom Magliozzi, one of the hosts of Car Talk, passed away today, Monday, November 3, due to complications of Alzheimer's Disease.
Car Talk producer Doug Berman wrote this, in part, to stations this afternoon:
Tom’s been such a dominant, positive personality amongst us for so long that all of us in the public radio family—and I include our millions of listeners—will find this news very difficult to receive... Tom and his brother came to public radio when it was stiff, academic and formal— and, not coincidentally, largely irrelevant to most Americans. And by being entirely and unselfconsciously themselves, they broke our medium open for real voices and real people, who turned out to be much more interesting, informative, and entertaining than the canned radio people we thought our listeners wanted. All of us who have created programming in Tom and Ray’s wake owe both of them a deep debt of gratitude. Please note that the Magliozzi family is asking that in lieu of flowers, friends and listeners make a donation to their favorite public radio stations in Tom’s memory.
Special Episode of Car Talk
This coming weekend, Car Talk will air a tribute version of the show in which Ray will share the news with listeners and remember some of Tom's most spectacular moments on the air.
From the Station Manager:
My heart sank when I read my email a few minutes ago. Tom and his brother brought such joy into our lives that it will be hard to imagine what the world -- let alone public radio -- will be without someone like him. As a public radio professional and as a listener, I grieve along with you for the loss of such a special person from our midst.
We welcome your comments on this website.
--Cleve Callison