RIP, Kidd Kraddick

     
   UPDATE: Video has been removed but here is the audio from Kidd's self-eulogy from last week. Chilling.

   Shocking news tonight out of New Orleans: David "Kidd" Kraddick has died.
   Details aren't yet confirmed, but multiple media types close to Kraddick and/or his show are telling me that the iconic Dallas radio host passed away Saturday of either a brain aneurysm or a heart attack while attending a charity golf tournament in New Orleans. Kidd was playing golf for his beloved Kidd's Kids Charity when he began feeling ill. After retreating to his limousine, his condition immediately and intensely worsened and attempts to revive him on the scene were unsuccessful.
   Because of his immense popularity, charitable heart and unyielding enthusiasm, Kraddick belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Metroplex radio alongside the likes of Ron Chapman and Norm Hitzges.
   A chilling side note: Just last week Kraddick and his Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show did their on-air "Deathbed Confessions." Kraddick started his obit by joking, "Today, I'm the one dying." The video (since removed) was posted July 22.
   Kraddick was born in Ohio and raised in Florida, attending the University of Miami before arriving in Texas in 1984 as a host on 97.1 The Eagle. Some of us old-timers who grew up listening to Kidd will remember classic bits like "Burn Your Buns." Anyone who met him - even those of us with marginal radio talent - always felt better about our careers after chatting with the effervescent, always-supportive Kidd.
   And here's to his signature sign-off:
   "Keep looking up, because that’s where it all is!"
   After moving to 106.1 KISS FM Kraddick's persona - and show - took off, blossoming into Dallas/Fort Worth's highest-rated listen. In 2001 his show became syndicated, airing in 75 markets including the Armed Forces Radio Network around the globe.
   His popularity and legend multiplied when he launched his own charity, Kidd's Kids in '91 and later when he became co-host of the popular TV show, Dish Nation.
   Kraddick's shocking, sudden death is yet another reminder that life - and death - ain't fair. Bad things happen to really good people.
   Kidd Kraddick was 53.

   Official statement from YEA Networks:

   All of us with YEA Networks and the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning crew are heartbroken over the loss of our dear friend and leader.  Kidd devoted his life to making people smile every morning, and for 21 years his foundation has been dedicated to bringing joy to thousands of chronically and terminally ill children.   Kidd passed away today in New Orleans at a golf tournament organized to raise money for his beloved Kidd's Kids charity.  He died doing what he loved, and his final day was spent selflessly focused on those special children that meant the world to him.We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and his colleagues.  At the appropriate time, we will release more information about the cause of death.