In the End, Kidd Kraddick's Heart Was Too Big

   Kidd Kraddick is the guy we all listened to.
   And, in the end, the victim we all cringe hearing about.
   The wildly popular radio host - a vibrant 53-going-on-23 - was in New Orleans last weekend for a charity golf tournament benefiting his beloved Kidd's Kids. On Friday night, according to co-workers, he went to the casino, played Craps and later goofed off on Bourbon Street, pretending to be the slump-shouldered guy unable to have fun despite being in the middle of one of the world's most festive streets. On Saturday morning he rode in a limousine to nearby Timberlane Country Club in Gretna, and proceeded to the practice range for a warm-up.
   Almost immediately he told folks he wasn't feeling well. Nauseous. Headache. Sweating profusely. Just feeling crappy. After hitting one last good shot - he always had to end on a high - he got in his cart and drove back to the limo to hydrate and cool off and ...
   He was dead 15 minutes later.
   Kraddick, a nationally syndicated host and Dallas/Fort Worth radio icon alongside Ron Chapman, Tom Joyner, Terry Dorsey and Norm Hitzges, apparently died of a sudden and massive heart attack, the result of an enlarged heart and cardiac disease. Yep, he literally dropped dead.
   "We're beyond devastated," said long-time Kidd Kraddick in the Morning sidekick Kellie Rasberry on a surreal show this morning on 106.1 KISS FM. "But there's comfort in knowing he didn't suffer."
   Added co-host Big Al Mack, "The doctors said he didn't feel any pain."
   The guy with one of the biggest hearts in the Metroplex dies of an enlarged heart? In other words, shit happens.
   While you contemplate whether dying of a heart attack is "better" than battling a deadly disease for years, the bouquets of social-media flowers for Kraddick continue to pour in. His energy, his compassion and his show truly made him a personality that transcended radio.

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  In a fiercely competitive DFW radio market, Kraddick competitors dropped their swords long enough to Tweet condolences. Among those were Jody Dean (KLUV), Jagger (NOW), Gordon Keith (Ticket), Hawkeye (KSCS), Mark Davis (660 AM), K104, 99.5 The Wolf and 95.9 The Ranch. TV personalities Gloria Campos (WFAA), Mike Doocy (Fox4), Gina Miller (CBS11) and Newy Scruggs (NBC 5) also offered their sympathy.
   Kraddick's popularity was also evidenced by the cross-section of support he received via Twitter from the worlds of sports (Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Modano and Nancy Lieberman), entertainment (Kelly Clarkson, Jay Pharoah, Joe Jonas, Khloe Kardashian, Dr. Phil, Ryan Seacrest, Wayne Brady and Harry Styles) and in national news stories posted outlets from CNN to USA Today to People.
   In the wake of Kraddick's death, co-worker Billy The Kid went on the air and - on a show that was painful yet impossible to turn off - remembered his fallen friend. And this morning his remaining cast wondered aloud what was next for the future of the show. It's unclear when the show will return or if it will return at all.
   Obviously, filling Kraddick's shoes at KISS would be akin to trying replace Troy Aikman under center for the Cowboys.
   "I knew what it felt like to be divorced," Rasberry said through the tears. "And now I feel like I know what it's like to be a widow."
   While there remains an amount of mystery surrounding Kraddick's death - official cause won't be determined until toxicology reports are finalized - there apparently was little misery. And, unfortunately, little he could have done to prevent it.
   The best you can do is to attempt to be 1/10th as noble as Kraddick. Live to the fullest. Help others. And, as much as possible, do what you want with whom you love.
   In that sense, Kidd Kraddick ended on the ultimate high.

   Keep looking up, 'cuz that's where it all is.

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