Radio legend Larry Lujack dies

Sad news from the radio world, as Larry Lujack has passed away at the age of 73.  Lujack worked at a number of outlets before arriving in Chicago, but is best-known for his work at WLS and WCFL:

Judith “Jude” Lujack told the Tribune her husband had been in hospice care for thre
e days and died of esophageal cancer.

Lujack was known for his gravelly voice, sometimes surly disposition and larger-than-life personality. His radio celebrity paved the way for such shock jocks as Howard Stern, said Bruce DuMont, founder and president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.

I have little doubt that my love of music and radio started with my dad.  In fact, one of my earliest memories is hearing this Larry Lujack jingle as my dad listened to WLS:

Lujack was a legend; one of the first to figure out it was OK to be yourself behind the microphone.  He could be caustic, sarcastic, unhappy...but most of all for the listeners he was real.  Lujack retired in 1987 so I missed his heyday on WLS.  But listening back to airchecks and old audio you can't help but be struck by that voice and that delivery. There's not a lot of mystery about why he was so successful.

For those who are unaware, this three-part series on Lujack is pretty in-depth. Here's part one:

RIP, Superjock.