| Updated: 11/29/2012 2:08 pm |
Published: 11/26/2012 4:00 pm
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Friends and supporters of a Tulsa radio legend are remembering his life this week.
Phil Stone died following a heart attack one month after his 27 year run on a popular Tulsa morning show ended. Now, his longtime radio partner and others are putting together a memorial for the public.
KMOD program director, Don Cristi had no idea the phone call he received last week would change his life and the face of radio in Tulsa as we know it.
"At five o'clock on Wednesday afternoon Brent Douglas called me with the unbelievable, shocking news. I was stunned,” says Cristi.
Just a month after KMOD announced Phil and Brent’s show, the Morning Zoo, was ending, Tulsans were shocked to hear Phil Stone had passed away. With a heavy heart, Don notified afternoon DJ, KC Lupp to break it to the listeners.
"To have a job where it's your job to come up with words, and to not have the words is something I'm not used to,” says Lupp.
An outpouring of love on facebook and Twitter ensued as shocked fans tried to wrap their minds around the fact they would never hear Phil Stone live on the air again.
"Brent is devastated. That was literally his brother and they were partners for over 27 years,” says Cristi.
For his part, Brent is quietly dealing with his grief as he prepares a public memorial to honor his friend and radio partner of 27 years.
“They're rock stars. There are few radio stations that will ever have personalities as big as those guys,” says Cristi.
His memorial service will be this Thursday at the Cain's Ballroom. It starts at 5:00 and is open to the public. A private service for the family will be held at 4:00 prior to the public memorial.
There have been a lot of questions as to what Brent Douglas will do now. KMOD tells FOX23 that he has a book coming out online soon, as well as a Roy D Mercer album in January.
