Thursday
Jan022020
In Memorium: Don Imus 1940-2019
Thursday, January 2, 2020 
Imus broadcast his first program from New York City back in 1971. His life journey has by some accounts been arduous, by other accounts a freak parade, and by still others as a matter for a RICO investigation. It began out in the great American West, California and Arizona, and eventually would make its way on across the country to Ohio and New York.
Imus was born in Riverside, California. Ranching was the family business and he was actually raised on a big cattle spread called the Willows near Kingman, Arizona. Don recalls that period of his childhood fondly and his familiar cowboy persona is completely legitimate. His irascibility appears to be equally legitimate, influenced by more than a few hard knocks along the way. If he revels in the agony of others, as he jokes, it may just be because he’s had a little of that himself. His parents divorced when Don was fifteen, he changed schools frequently, got arrested after a school yard fight, won election in secondary school as class president and was impeached, and, at seventeen, was pushed by his mother to join the marine corps as the best strategy to keep him out of jail. While it all added up to what Imus himself has described as a fairly horrible adolescence, it also disproves a theory that he actually had no parents and instead spawned spontaneously in dust clots behind the Laundromat dryers where one day he would seek shelter. When did all of these events unfold? It doesn’t really matter. And why annoy Don by asking?
Despite the occasional rough patch, Imus did spend a full twelve years in public school and emerged with no formal education…a product of automatic social promotion not even casually tied to merit. He graduated with no honors and no skills, a rare stroke of luck because a broadcasting career required neither. Difficulty continued to dog Imus after his school days: his undistinguished, infraction blotched stretch in the marines, onerous labor in a Superior, Arizona copper mine and a Grand Canyon uranium mine where an accident left him with both legs broken. There was work as a freight brakeman on the Southern Pacific railroad and a back injury suffered in an engine derailment and at one point the indignities of homelessness, hitching, being flat broke. Better, and worse days were to come. This quintessential American and often challenging personal passage materially defined Imus, instilling him with humility, a deep respect for our country and its workers, and a disturbing need to get even. He emerged from the experience with attributes that contributed enormously to the broadcasting distinction he would realize: an intrinsic, conspicuous authenticity, and a unique ability to connect with real people who work hard, serve their country, and care passionately about what really matters in the world.
Once Imus began broadcasting, fame and acclaim came quickly. He was showered with the laurels of radio celebrity including inductions into both the National Association of Broadcasters and radio halls of fame. He was the recipient of four Marconi awards, broadcasting’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscars. It got to the point that he would throw this or that slab of walnut with crystal crap glued to it against the wall of his office as a convenient means of intimidating horrified underlings. He was featured on television programs from NBC’s “Today” show to CBS’ “60 Minutes.” He was a guest of Charlie Rose, David Letterman, and of special note, Larry King, in shameless, mutual ass-kissing marathons that challenged the audience's gag reflex.
Don and Deirdre continue to run the Imus Ranch Foundation donating to other worthy causes helping children with cancer, autism and all the environmental health problems with our children. Don has raised hundred of millions of dollars for the Tomorrows Children’s Fund, CJ foundation for SIDS, Hackensack University Medical Center and America’s Veterans.
Reader Comments (562)
My sincere condolences to the Imus family for your loss.
I started to listen in '87 as I commuted to work with my dad. While my peers were enamored by the other NYC shock jock I became a better rounded individual from the knowledge, exploits and interests of Imus (and co.). I remained a loyal listener until he signed off and was hoping the spin-off would be comparable. It isn't, and I am skeptical there will be another that offers the broad variety of topics, humor, cultural insight and smiles that he provided. His departure leaves a hole in us all.
I posted my condolences before, but I must say it is consoling to read of others' shared loss in the I-man's passing. He was truly the thinking man's (and woman's) best morning program on radio, the exact opposite of the dumbed-down, inane drivel or highly propagandized soapboxes that plague radio nowadays. As indicated by the outpouring of well-written, erudite comments here, the I-man's one-of-a-kind blend of humor, wit, sarcasm, and insight packaged in an always entertaining manner appealed to a more intelligent audience. How we do miss him! Maybe a "Best of Imus" DVD could be considered? Anyway, Wyatt, I hope you dedicate your June NY Rodeo appearance at Madison Sq. Garden to your dad's memory, who will surely be with you in spirit.
I-Man, you were one in 300million. Thanks for the best radio memories and entertainment for me since 1990. Loved listening, and learned a lot from the I-Man. God speed my friend. Deirdre, Wyatt and family...God Bless.
I began listening to the "I-Man" in the mid 70's while commuting to college and continued listening until he went off the air i March 2018. Like many others I felt I knew him and felt he was a friend. All the characters he gave us from Geraldo Santa Banana to Rob Bartlett's various characters made my mornings wonderful. Too much to list but I felt a loss when he retired and know I feel a deeper loss and sadness ad that he his gone. Thank you Don for all those years of fun and my sympathies to your family.
I love you, Don Imus...thank you for always being true to yourself! You are a real “cowboy”. We lost a good man....
A loyal listener for five decades, I miss the I-Man terribly. He made sense of the "freak show" and made me laugh--heartily! Deirdre, Wyatt and Zach, I have kept you in my prayers. Thank you for sharing the I-Man with us all. Comforted to know he is with Fred and his parents.
Sending love to the family Imus adored‼️♥️ Heaven just got one of our best— the stars formed a cowboy boot as he passed over‼️
Godspeed IMUS! We will miss you forever‼️♥️
Imus was a big influence on my life. After briefly listening to him in the 70's in CT when my mother was tuning in, I picked him up again in my twenties when he started broadcasting on a local affiliate in North Carolina. I just loved his audacity, and some of his temperament and his expressions started to make it into my personality. Not intentionally, it just started happening as I began to listen to him religiously for the next 20+ years. I just loved the show. I think of Imus in the Morning as the greatest variety show ever in radio. Imus and his team just typified my sense of humor. And I loved the fact that his interests were so varied - from potty humor, to politics, to religion, to the cowboy West. When he retired, a pall hung over me at times during the day for weeks. As much as I loved listening to the I-Man, I understand your loss is immensely greater, and I wish you the best in the coming years. It just takes a long, long time to come to grips with a loss of one so close.
Our thoughts and payers to Deirdre and Wyatt. My Brother and I haven't missed Imus in the Morning for decades. It's probably the greatest show ever. The laughs, the guests, the fabulous interviews. His understanding of the music industry and the stories were riveting, it was a package that can't be copied. He was the greatest that has ever done morning broadcast ever! We talk about Imus often. Weeks ago the rumor that he might come back on a new podcast has us hoping it was true. I have some tapes from years ago, especially the day Fred Imus appeared with the blow-up doll, screamingly funny! We are lucky there are many YouTube clips of the show. Charles McCords comments on YouTube were very good. We will miss Don forever and were so fortunate to have lived in the era where he brought so much entertainment to us and millions.
I had heard of Imus in reference to Howard Stern. It was till I got with my now husband that we started listening and searching for him wherever he was . TV, Radio , I even listened while visiting my ailing mom in Albuquerque. It wasn’t just IMUS , Charles McCord, Lou, Bernie, Rob, and the characters made the beginning of our day topical and got the brain jump started. His book suggestions,music ideas, please! He started it all . You can’t get the intellect on MEDIA anymore, he took it with him when he left. Slammed that door shut tight. Riding off laughing, Love you for it and FAREWELL!
RIP MR. IMUS GREAT MAN
I've had the pleasure of knowing Don for the last 25 years. He was a kind and generous soul with a true love for his family. He will be missed by all.
My husband began encouraging me to tune in to Imus in the late '90s when the show was syndicated on WRX radio in Rhode Island. My husband's older brother had been an Imus fan from his early days in New York and he thought I would enjoy the show. I was a former newspaper reporter home raising three small children. I finally discovered a rebroadcast one night in my musty, gloomy basement where I went to work out on a noisy treadmill after the kids were asleep. Imus' voice bellowed forth from an old radio plugged in to an outlet dangling from the ceiling. I remember they played "Behind Blue Eyes." I was hooked forever.
For the next 20 years I was a faithful Imus listener. When my alarm sounded every morning at 5:45 I would think, "Well, Imus is in his studio getting ready to go on the air, so the least you can do is get up, make some coffee, and listen." While I made breakfast and packed lunches, my kids grew up hearing Imus on the kitchen radio (except for the occasional times when I would dive across the table to turn down the sound during some questionable commentary). My mom and dad became listeners, too. We bought ranch memorabilia, hats and coffee mugs. I bought all the cleaning supplies from Greening the Cleaning (still have some, in fact).
Why did I like Imus? He was smart. He was well-read. He knew his music. He made me laugh even before the sun rose in the sky. He had the best guests (including Fred, the funniest guy ever). He didn't engage in hyperbole. Having grown up in the 1950s and 1960s, he could place events in context. He was absolutely the best interviewer I have ever heard. From him, I learned the importance of asking the one question on everyone's mind -- the embarrassing, pointed, obvious question most interviewers are reluctant to bring up. I went back to work a few years after I started listening to the show and I was inspired to always ask the questions others were afraid to mention. ("What would Imus ask?" "So, did you cheat on your wife or not?") When I traveled, I loved making coffee at the hotel and tuning in to see Imus on MSNBC. I watched him the morning after the 2004 presidential election. It was close and many media outlets were talking about a recount between Bush and Kerry. Imus was the only accurate broadcast. His guests (including Pat Buchanan) analyzed it the right way. It was impressive.
I was 12 years old when George Carlin did his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." I grew up in a world that taught that words freely expressed were a part of democracy and liberty. The world has changed. Now we must monitor our speech so as not to offend. Those who utter offensive words are censored. We take it all very seriously. Today's world can't comprehend the value of a "shock jock" in the 1970s. We can't wrap our heads around the idea that words are words. The Rutgers controversy saddened me. I have never believed for a minute that Don Imus was racist.
Deirdre and Wyatt, I am so very sorry for your loss. It broke my heart when I received a text from my son saying that Imus had died. I knew him only as an entertainer, but you loved him as a husband and a father. My prayers are with you. When you hear or read criticism, I hope you will always remember that there are thousands of people just like me, listeners who loved and appreciated him for so many years, who got out of bed on the coldest mornings just to hear him. There will never be another Imus.
My heart and prayers are with the Imus family. His love of his family was obvious to anyone listening to him. I spent many years listening to his show and as much as I missed the show I was happy he got to spend his last days with his family.
Don Imus made me laugh and cry through the many years I listened to him. I'm sad at his passing, but so happy that I enjoyed him, Charles, Bernie, and Lou during all those morning commutes.
I will miss him. Thanks, Don, for all the memories.
Always looked forward to the show on TV each morning. What a comedian. He was obviously very smart as he was always ready to make a joke out of nothing. VERY FUNNY. My condolences to the family.
My friend, I have been with you since your first days in NY. I thank you for all the difference you have made to so many people that so needed a positive difference in their lives. You make me feel I was the one guy you were talking to. The best at what you did and the best at being you! You will be sorely missed. May you finally breathe easy in the highest altitude possible. I can hear you at the gate, saying "God's other son is home." RIP my friend.
I listened to Imus for years, loved how he didn't take shit from anybody. More than anything he taught me what LOYALTY was about. He walked the talk, God bless Imus!
Imus made the morning commute tolerable - RIP
I miss Don Imus. I got hooked on his show while attending the University of Tennessee in the mid 2000s. We had an old TV in my dorm room with a VHS player. When we had to miss part of the show that was airing on MSNBC at the time, I would record it and then watch it while I should have been doing homework. Laughing made a lot more sense to me, however taking that math class twice sucked. His humor, authenticity, intellect, quick jabs, and amazing cast he surrounded himself with made it must watch TV for me. I was watching the morning after my Tennessee Lady Vols beat Rutgers to win the 2007 National Championship. He called the girls on the Lady Vols team "cute", then followed up with his comments about Rutgers. Normal watchers knew he wasn't racist, and I was angry when he got fired. I knew all of the good he utilized his platform for, and all of that was conveniently forgotten. However, he came came back and I was fortunate to enjoy a lot more laughs with him. If I miss him this much from a distance, I know Deidre, Wyatt, and Zach must be hurting much more. I am remembering you all in my prayers.
I was a fan and listened to the radio show for years. My heart aches for the family and my deepest condolences.
Grateful to Imus and the crew for waking me up early, every workday, for years. So much variety, information and many laughs. One of the most varied and interesting mix of crew and guests ever on radio. He also started many talented young folks on their good careers. And, always the heart, and service,with opportunities to help others. Still have the sick mom’s cookbook.. thanks to all for many good memories, and rest in peace, Don.
There are no words that are fit for an occasion such as this. Don Imus had more Integrity is his crooked little pinky finger than most Folks accumulate in a Lifetime.
He showed the World how to be a Man. He & Fred...Together Again...Godspeed I-Man, We Love You!!
“I don’t care if it rains or freezes as long as I have my plastic Jesus on the Dashboard of my car” ....Listened to you from the seventies watched you to the end . Thank you for the entertainment and the absolute best interviews. No one and I mean no one was better at what you did at any period of your career...from the early comedy to the later brilliant political insight . God I will miss your wit. I will remember when I moved to Hawaii in 1990 and had my sister mail me cassette tapes of your show because I missed it so much.Then you were on TV when I moved to New Mexico and enjoyed your book recommendations...then 9-11 ...You were with me for that . The time Fred stood outside a Radio station in Ruidoso and we talked about you for 45 minutes ....God I miss the I-Man....Where’s my I-Man ! RIP Don Imus ,you will be remembered
As a loyal listener for many years, I learned so much from the radio show. Historians, journalists, politicians, authors, musicians...what n incredible range of fascinating people and the best interviews out there. And so much laughter. I got the Cooking for Cowboys recipe book and used to use Greening The Cleaning products.. The laughter, the stories, the music, the guests....what an incredible and unique show Imus put on. My deepest condolences to the family. The I-man will never be forgotten.