Memphis Radio Legend Bobby O’Jay Dead at 68
Longtime DJ and a cornerstone of Black radio in Memphis, Bobby O’Jay, passed away due to unknown causes on Tuesday, May 3.
He was 68.
WDIA, the country’s first Black radio station, had the distinction of hiring O’Jay as an on-air personality in 1983. Having launched his start in 1972 in Milwaukee, O’Jay went from there to Montgomery, Alabama, following a return back to WDIA, he would serve as the stations’ program director.
His run at the station was immaculate and enviable as he interviewed the likes of Whitney Houston, Muhammad Ali, and Temptations members David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks.
Bobby O’Jay was born in Batesville, Mississippi in 1953, inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2021, honored by the Living Legends Foundation in 2000, and iHeartMedia Memphis in 2018. He would also become an inductee into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Talking to TV outlet Fox 13/Memphis prior to his induction, O’Jay said of his 49-year career, “I’ve never had this job and that job. I’ve always had just the radio job. God has truly blessed me to make a decent salary at all the radio stations I’ve worked even back in the ‘70s.”
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a tweet, “I’m very sorry to learn about the passing of Bobby O’Jay. I know for many Memphians, including my wife, the day was not complete unless they tuned in to hear what Bobby had to say. I always enjoyed being with Bobby on his show or otherwise. My wife Melyne and I offer condolences to his family, his radio family at iHeart, and his loyal fans. I know his legacy will continue through WDIA.”
