Ken Calvert dies at 72, remembered as Detroit radio legend
Ken Calvert from 1996 at WJR. (Provided by Art Vuolo)
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Ken Calvert, who was on Detroit radio for over 40 years, died on Wednesday. He was 72.
His long-term friend and fellow radio personality, Jim Johnson, confirmed his death with FOX 2.
Calvert was born and raised in Detroit.
He worked for several Detroit rock stations, such as WRIF-FM, WCSX-FM, WWWW-FM, WLLZ-FM and others. He was also a Detroit Pistons PA announcer for 16 years.
Isiah Thomas, a former Pistons point guard, posted his condolences to Twitter, formerly known as X.
As an announcer, Calvert "invented a lot of new ways to hype the sport," Johnson said. "He was awesome."
In his later days, he hosted the Ken Calvert Show Podcast, featuring interviews surrounding classic rock, sports, comedy, and more.
"Ken Calvert was among the first people I ever met in the radio business in Detroit in 1975," Johnson said. "Our careers intertwined from WWWW in the mid 70s, to WRIF in the late 70s and early 80s, to WLLC in the 80s and 90s, to WCSX in the 2000s."
Additionally, he has held positions at Sony Music's Columbia Records as a local and regional promotion and marketing manager.
Calvert will be remembered as "a mentor, a friend, and a compatriot," Johnson added. "The world is a more sad place today than it was yesterday. God bless you Ken Calvert, rest in peace."