Iconic Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Host Bob Rivers Dies of Cancer

March 11, 2025

After 33 years of doing morning radio, Bob Rivers decided to step away and discontinue The Bob Rivers Morning Show, exiting KJR-FM 95.7 in 2014. Now, many radio industry veterans are expressing surprise and shock, as Rivers has died at the age of 68.

Rivers had suffered from terminal cancer, as disclosed in a January article in the Seattle Times.

Widely known for his song parodies and wake-up show comedic style, Rivers arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1989 by taking a job at KISW-FM, a Rock station. There, his “Twisted Radio” was a hit, but by 2000 a contractual dispute led to the program’s end at the station. After one year of sitting out a non-compete agreement, Rivers resurfaced at CBS Radio’s Classic Rock KZOK-FM in Seattle. He would be there through September 30, 2010, and in April 2011 would land at his third and final Seattle radio station, KJR-FM.

Rivers first gained national attention in the early 1990s at WAAF, a bangin’ rock-and-roll station that actively competed in Boston and could be heard well west into the Berkshires. In Spring 1988, this success led Rivers to join WIYY “98 Rock” in Baltimore, spending one year there while further building a national name for himself and co-host Spike O’Neill, who he found at a local car dealership.

Rivers’ first work in radio came in New Haven, at Top 40 WAVZ-AM. Other early stops included WCCC-FM, a Rocker in Hartford. But, Rivers was born in Honolulu, and shared with the Seattle Times about how he gained attention for a stunt that saw him broadcast continuously through a 23-game losing streak by the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, in 1988.

After leaving KJR-FM, Rivers and his wife, Lisa, relocated to Vermont. In 2019, he entered the world of podcasting. By 2022, difficulty swallowing led to a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. The Rivers relocated again, this time to Las Vegas. It proved to be somewhat lucky, as Bob Rivers was given a 50/50 chance of surviving past 2023.

Most recently, Rivers had been living in New Hampshire, according to RAMP.

Six days ago, Rivers posted the following message to The Bob Rivers Show‘s Facebook page:

When you find yourself staring down the barrel of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, naturally, one of the first questions that pops into your mind is: How long am I going to live?

We all know that mortality is part of the deal. It’s just easier to accept that part and not think too much about it afterward. In my case, a typical survival time would usually be measured in months – and if you’re lucky, a few years.