KSCS-FM reported Sunday that longtime radio personality Terry Dorsey passed away Saturday night at the age of 66.
The station said Dorsey suffered a short and sudden illness and died at his farm in Illinois.
"It breaks my heart that he had three months in retirement, that's it, before he died suddenly," Dorsey's longtime broadcasting partner, Mark 'Hawkeye' Louis, said of his colleague of 26 years. "I owe so much to him."
On the KSCS-FM website, Louis wrote the following:
It comes with deep sadness that I have to report the passing of my longtime friend and cherished colleague, Terry Dorsey. Terry retired from KSCS in December and had hoped to live out his retirement on a farm in Illinois. Last night, I received a call from his family that Terry had passed away peacefully at home. Terry had not been feeling well these past few days and it was rather sudden. Tomorrow morning we'll remember Terry and allow listeners to comment on what he meant to them. We'd like to encourage you to share this and leave comments on our KSCS Facebook Page, as this would bring comfort to his family.
Louis is planning a tribute that will air on 96.3 Monday morning.
"I kind of want it to be upbeat and remember how Terry touched people's lives in a positive way," he said.
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In February 2000, NBC 5 chronicled Dorsey's battle with prostate cancer. He read his wife's letter on the air to other wives about how she convinced Dorsey to make the doctor's appointment that caught his cancer. Dorsey invited NBC 5 to be in the hospital as he underwent surgery. Dorsey's doctors were confident that they caught the cancer early before it spread. He returned on-air a month after his surgery.
According to the station website, Dorsey had previously won the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music and Billboard Magazine's Personality of the Year Award. He was also inducted in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
He retired from the station Dec. 17, 2014, after a 46-year broadcasting career.
"You know I've been in this market now for 33 years and I've had fans that have been there from day one," Dorsey told NBC 5 on his retirement day. "And that means so much to me, they'll never know. I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart."
On the station's Facebook page, many longtime listeners noted they've listened to Dorsey for decades.
Dorsey's funeral will be held in North Texas.
