Family grieves loss of Tulsa radio personality Phil Stone
BY Staff Reports
Saturday, November 24, 2012
11/24/12 at 5:56 AM
The death of longtime Tulsa radio personality Phil Stone has left his family with a "heavy heart," a family spokeswoman said.
Stone, whose legal name was Phillip Wayne Riddle, is survived by five children and three grandchildren, said spokeswoman Chris Downs.
Stone died Wednesday at age 57. His services are pending with Heath-Griffith Funeral Home.
Stone was the longtime co-host of the "Phil and Brent Show" on KMOD-FM 97.5 with Brent Douglas. The show's nearly 27-year run ended without explanation Oct. 12.
"As talented and well-respected as he was publicly, privately he was an extraordinary father, grandfather and son," Downs told the Tulsa World late Friday. "This loss has left his family and friends with a heavy heart right now."
Downs said the family needs time to grieve privately.
She said the family is discussing some type of memorial service in the future "to celebrate his life with his fans, colleagues and friends."
The station's program director, Don Cristi, told the World on Wednesday: "It is literally like losing a member of your family" and that Stone "had to be the greatest radio personality in this market."
Stone and Douglas were well-known for a comedy routine involving Douglas as the voice of "Roy D. Mercer," a character created in 1993 who performed prank calls on unsuspecting listeners. The character's popularity resulted in the release of 17 albums beginning in 1997.
Before Stone's departure from KMOD, he tweeted: "Thanks for the interest ... but we've decided not to do any media interviews. Gonna just sing Happy Trails and slither away."
Original Print Headline: Radio host's family grieves
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