John O’Brien Has Died

Former radio personality John O’Brien has died.

Western Mass News reported that he passed away late on Sunday/early on Monday after a 14-year battle with cancer.

He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame a few years ago and was a radio personality for 40 years. He was most known as a host on Rock 102’s morning show Bax & O’Brien. Per WWLP, in a recent appearance on 22News InFocus with Patrick Berry, O’Brien discussed his broadcasting career and cancer, revealing he was diagnosed with melanoma four times.

The latest, metastatic melanoma, was a stage four cancer and spread to multiple organs. At the time of the interview, which was about a month ago, O’Brien shared that his doctor told him he had six to 12 months to live and was receiving hospice care.

According to O’Brien’s obituary from Rock 102, he helped launch the Mayflower Marathon Food Drive 32 years ago, where people donate non-perishable food items. The most recent one, which was this week, was to help The Open Pantry. It ran from Monday through Wednesday and raised over $260,000.

O’Brien studied at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and most recently hosted his own podcast, OB Negative, with iHeartRadio. In 2022, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Radio Hall of Fame. Rock 102 is encouraging listeners to donate to the Open Pantry.

Among his co-hosts on Rock 102 were current host Mike Baxendale, who also worked with O’Brien on the Mayflower Marathon, which O’Brien had co-founded two years prior to his joining. “The fact is we were two human beings that are a part of this community, a community that we love,” Baxendale told Western Mass News. “Being out here and being able to help means a lot to us, and it meant a lot to him. It’s a very sad way of going about it.”

“John’s unique personality was his strength, and he loved talking about a variety of issues that made some people happy and others upset,” reads the obituary. “He would always look at life half empty, but without him even realizing it, he made people think. He was always sharing difficulties in his own life on the air, which on many occasions helped others deal with their own challenges.”

John O’Brien is survived by his mother, Rita Langlois; his stepfather, John Langlois; his brother Tim O’Brien and wife Kym; and his brother Dan O’Brien. He was predeceased by his father, John J. O’Brien. He also leaves behind his loving nieces and nephews, Eric, Kevin, Colin, and Sarah O’Brien.