John O’Brien, a radio personality beloved by generations of listeners for his decades on the air, has died.
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The former radio broadcaster on Rock 102 in western Massachusetts passed away on Nov. 24 after battling cancer, according to local outlet WWLP. O’Brien was 65.
The veteran radio personality was well-known as the former host of Rock 102’s morning show, Bax & O’Brien, and worked in radio for 40 years. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame a few years ago.
“Very bittersweet,” Mike ‘Bax’ Baxendale, co-host of the Bax & Nagle Show, said, per WWLP. “A lot of time and work went into what we did together, and we will miss him quite a lot.”
O’Brien recently appeared on WWLP’s 22News InFocus with Patrick Berry to discuss his broadcasting career and how it led to his role as a radio show host. He also opened up about his battle with cancer, sharing that he has been diagnosed with melanoma four times. His most recent diagnosis, metastatic melanoma, was a stage four cancer that has spread to multiple organs, including his lungs and liver. He has been fighting the disease for the past 14 years.
Tributes Pour in for Radio Personality John O’Brien
Meanwhile, tributes poured in for the popular radio host following his passing.
“John fought a valiant public battle with his cancer challenges, which inspired many of us,” Mayor Domenic Sarno said in part. “He was a strong and proud supporter of our public safety officials, especially our police officers. If he wasn’t ‘busting your or my chops’ you’d know that something was wrong.”
“John wasn’t just the voice many of us in western Massachusetts woke up to on the Rock102 morning show,” Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi said. “He was a true friend, a loyal conversationalist, a man of warmth and wit, and someone whose larger-than-life radio persona masked a genuine kindness.”
“John O’Brien was a Western Mass radio legend who bravely shared his 14-year-long battle with cancer with his listeners, somehow keeping his sense of humor through it all,” journalist Heidi Voight wrote on Facebook. “There will be countless tributes detailing just how much good he did and how many lives he touched. My deepest condolences to all who loved him and called him a friend.”