The radio industry mourns the loss of pioneering personality Dusty Street, who passed away at the age of 77 in Eugene, OR, over the weekend. Street’s career spanned multiple decades and stations, but she is most famous for her work at Los Angeles-based KROQ-FM and SiriusXM.
Street broke barriers as one of the first female rock personalities on the West Coast, initially working at KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco between 1967 and 1978. She later moved to Los Angeles where she hosted shows on KROQ from 1979 through 1996. In the latter part of her career, Street spent over 20 years at SiriusXM, hosting shows like Deep Tracks and Classic Vinyl.
Known for her outspoken nature, Street was critical of the Parents Music Resource Center’s attempt to impose a ratings system on rock music. She was dismissed from KROQ for being a “renegade” as the station tightened control over its programming.
Her death was confirmed by her friend Geno Michellini, a longtime radio personality at KLOS-FM in Los Angeles, who took to Facebook to share the news. Michellini stated, “I have been in Eugene the last two days at Dusty Street’s bedside. The numerous afflictions that she has been so indomitably fighting these last years finally caught up to her. I am writing with a broken heart to say that Dusty left us tonight. She died peacefully, quietly, and surrounded by love in a beautifully serene location overlooking the most beautiful lake you could ever want. As befitting the queen that she was. Tonight I lost one of the best friends I ever had and the world lost a radio and music legend … . She was all that and so much more. There will never be another Dusty Street. The queen is gone, but she’ll never be forgotten.”
SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks posted a tribute on Facebook, saying, “We have lost one of our own. Dusty Street has passed away after 77 joyous trips around the sun. And yes, Dusty Street was her real name. Dusty was one of the first female rock jocks on the west coast working at KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco from 1967 through 1978 before heading to Los Angeles where she held court in the evenings from 1979 through 1996 on KROQ. … We are heartbroken.”
