By , David Peter Cradick, known to radio listeners as Kidd Kraddick, had outrun death once before. Aggressive treatments had purged his body of the lymphoma that he had kept secret from even those closest to him. The national syndication of his show poured revenue into his company, YEA Networks. But if it were to have lasting market value, YEA had to do more than deposit checks from the show.
But when he joined Kraddick at Steel, Laughlin was a seasoned pro with a full head of gray hair. The founder of Gap Broadcasting, Laughlin had purchased more than radio stations and merged Gap with Regent to create Townsquare Media.
Below Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River snakes through marshland and into New Orleans, where the July heat churns up a swampy humidity. Kraddick spent the last night of his life at this table with Laughlin, spreading bets across the green felt. By 10 a. A young man at the wheel chauffeured the Kraddick team along U. Minutes later, he turned into the driveway of the Timberlane Country Club. As Kraddick walked toward the low-slung clubhouse, tournament founder Mindi Hartzog threw her arms around him while a camera shutter clicked.
The resulting photo is the first in a series that captured the last minutes of his life. Having skipped breakfast, Kraddick grabbed one of the Chick-fil-A sandwiches being given to the golfers and got behind the wheel of a cart with a sweating Laughlin beside him.
Owens followed separately. At the first tee, Kraddick again said he felt bad. So Owens, a golfer, took the first drive of the tournament for him. Seated on the grass beside the tee box, a nauseated Kraddick spit out his sandwich and quickly cleared his mouth with some Powerade.
Laughlin pulled open the ice drawer from underneath the opposite sofa and handed his friend a bottle and Kraddick grasped it. They took time to meet with grieving fans outside their Las Colinas studios. Tom Fox, Staff Photographer. The Ochsner Medical Center-West Bank was less than a mile and a half away, so the driver turned the bus onto Timberlane Drive and began to speed past the houses that line the golf course.
With his own white sports shirt already saturated, a frantic Laughlin pulled Kraddick to the floor and began to blow into his mouth and pump on his chest. The driver raced along and the rear compartment rose and fell like a carnival ride as the pavement alternated between blacktop and concrete. The more tightly Laughlin grasped for a thread of life, the more quickly it slipped through his hands and drifted away from the bus that was pushing through traffic on the Belle Chasse Highway.
At Ochsner, Kraddick was carried out and placed on a gurney. Laughlin entered the emergency room at his side, searching for but not finding a glimmer of life.
She answered and put it to her ear. She was the first to have an epiphany that would quickly spread across the country. Morning radio fills the intimate space that comes after sleep but before daily life. Kidd Kraddick had set up camp in that space. When he died, the sense of loss was as jarring as the news of his death. Without the revenue from Clear Channel or a quick substitute, the show would not be financially viable. Landing that evening at Love Field, Laughlin drove home to his wife and three kids, grabbed one drink, then went to the Kiss FM offices where he stayed until after 3 a.
Play Live Radio. Next Up:. Available On Air Stations. All Streams. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email. Five stories that have North Texas talking: D Magazine says Kidd Kraddick had lymphoma, more were without power during the ice storm than initially reported, "The Nutcracker" as a comedy, and more: Kidd Kraddick, the popular Dallas-based morning radio show host who died over the summer, kept a big secret — he had lymphoma.
Family members say that at 4 a. He died at a hospital. Oncor had earlier said at least , people were without power, but that they were still looking through the data. Parts of East Dallas and Plano were without power for four days. Trees and power lines were covered in about 1.
The largest grant went to the Amon Carter Museum, the only art museum in the area to receive a grant. The new show, which incorporates pop-culture references, is a collaboration between artistic staff and dancers.
Eric Aasen. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters.
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