OMW hears that long-time Northeast Ohio radio personality Tom Sullivan has passed away at the age of 53. Tom, born Tom Farrar in Canal Fulton in 1954, died Friday afternoon.
From the Canton Repository's online obituary listing:
Tom spent over 30 years in radio and was known by his stage name Tom Sullivan. Tom worked for WKDD, WQMX, WHBC-FM and the old M105 in Cleveland and others. "If I put a smile on your face or made you laugh at one of my stunts, then it was all worth while"
Tom's last known radio job, as far as we know, was as the morning man a while back at Tuscarawas Broadcasting CCM outlet WNPQ/95.9 in the Canton market.
In addition to the above, Tom also opened the microphone in that market fairly recently at D.A. Peterson top 40 WZKL/92.5 "Q92", where he did weekend/swing as recently as a couple of years or so ago. Outside the region, the 1976 Kent State University graduate was also once heard in Fort Wayne IN and Charleston WV.
We don't have many details on Tom's condition before his death, but we know he's been fighting illness for some time.
A memorial service for Tom will be held this Wednesday at 7 PM, at Canal Fulton's Swigart-Easterling Funeral Home on East Cherry Street.
RIP, Tom...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
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3 comments:
A few years back I answered the request line and it was Tom. I fully expected a joke or some backhand comment in the spirit of competition. Not that day. Tom called to make peace. He had been calling everybody and anybody he’d ever had an encounter with.
Tom explained he had Cancer and wasn’t sure how long he’d have left. That was in 1999.
Here was a man facing death, taking time to touch many of us he had known or worked with in a way we’d never expect from him.
I’m saddened to hear of Toms passing. He was a great radio performer. From his days wearing a labcoat and stethoscope while making WKDD appearances as “the Doctor” or playing the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show on WHBC-FM (On HBC-FM!) he always left the audience entertained.
Bless you, Tom.
I got to know Tom through working at Mix 94.1, WHBC. He was a man I looked up to, not only for his experience in radio, but more importantly how he was fighting this thing. I contacted him through email over the summer and my intention was to take him out to lunch, but unfortunately I wasn't able to do that. I kept putting off the email, but to me Tom will always be a standup guy and I will miss his insight and his knowledge. God Bless you Tom, and now the fighting has ended, you can enjoy peace again.
Kevin Gillman
Many years ago, back in the mid-80s I had the opportunity to meet Tom. We were both Discjockeys, he working for WKDD at the time, and I at a competitor. We were involved in the DiscJockey race at Derby Downs in Akron and had a blast. There was nothing but good-natured chiding and rivalry between us all. But I remember listening to him long before that encounter and always liked him hence. Also in attendance that day was former WAKR/WAEZ Program Director; Bill Hart, and Phil Cordle from WSLR. Now both Phil and Tom are gone and hole is left in the world of broadcasting.
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