Beloved Comedy Figure Brent Douglas Has Died

Brent Douglas, longtime Tulsa radio host and prank caller, died earlier this month at the age of 69. His cause of death has not been announced.

Going by the name Roy D. Mercer, Douglas would prank call people with a thick southern drawl to air out bizarre and outlandish made-up grievances before threatening to fight the caller on the other end. He was known for his catchphrases like “How big’a boy are ya?” and “How’d ya like an ass-whoopin’?” At the end of the call, he would reveal himself, and tell the victim that one of their friends put them up to the prank.

The Mercer character originated on Tulsa rock station 97.5 KMOD, with Douglas and fellow co-host Phil Stone. A country music executive at Capitol Records caught on to their act and signed them to a record deal to take their comedy act nationwide. There were over 20 Roy D. Mercer albums between 1996 and 2013, and those albums sold over six million copies by the year 2000.

Mercer was such a popular character, in fact, that Douglas appeared in the 2001 film Daddy and Them with Billy Bob Thornton. Stone passed away in 2012, and Douglas’ work on the Mercer character stopped soon after.

Some Tulsa radio legends paid tribute to Douglas, including Bob Cooper.

“Look up ‘legend’ and his and Phil’s pictures are there. As I got to know Brent over the years, [we worked in the same building for 3 years] I knew him as a terrific, genuine human being who never took himself too seriously,” Cooper wrote, according to a 102.3 KRMG article.