Beloved Radio Host Dies of Cancer: Bob Rivers Was 68

Radio legend Bob Rivers, who voiced Seattle’s mornings for 25 years, has died. The Radio Hall of Famer passed away at the age of 68 following a battle with cancer, The Bob Rivers Show announced on March 11.

“With heavy hearts, we share the passing of our dear friend, mentor, and legendary broadcaster, Bob Rivers,” a statement read. “Bob touched countless lives with his humor, kindness, and passion for storytelling. His voice may be silent, but his impact will never fade.”

Rivers revealed in a March 4 blog post that he’d been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma stage 3 in January 2022, and the disease had quickly moved to stage 4. At the time, he told his readers that he’d “had several complications lately” and reflected on his mortality, writing, “When you find yourself staring down the barrel of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, naturally, one of the first questions that pops into your mind is: How long am I going to live?” Rivers said that “a typical survival time would usually be measured in months—and if you’re lucky, a few years. By that measure, I’ve been very lucky.”

Rivers began his radio career as a teenager, and was famously fired from one of his earliest jobs for playing too much Led Zeppelin, per KIRO 7. He went on to work at WAAF-FM in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he co-hosted Bob and Zip with Peter “Zip” Zipfel, and later Baltimore’s WIYY-FM, before making his way to Seattle, where he spent 25 years on KISW-FM before later moving to KZOK-FM and eventually KJR-FM.

He is best remembered for The Bob Rivers Show, which also featured James “Spike” O’Neill and Joe Bryant. The improv talk show was known for its “Twisted Tunes” song parodies, commentary, and humor.

Paying tribute to Rivers on Facebook, O’Neill wrote, “Rest now. Thank you for everything you gave us, me most of all.” Bryant, meanwhile, remembered him as “a man of integrity with a love of people and a passion for helping and entertaining others” and said “meeting Bob changed my life forever and for the better. I’m one of a huge number of folks who can say that. And, while Bob has passed on to the next place, his Spirit will continue to live through all of us whose lives he’s touched and the songs and stories he leaves behind.”

Rivers, who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2023, retired from KJR in Seattle in 2014 and relocated with his wife to Vermont, where he began podcasting. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; sons Andrew and Keith, along with Keith’s wife, Leanne; and granddaughters Hazel and Georgia.