Posted by chicagomedia.org on February 04, 2009 at 08:58:05:
In Reply to: Sad news...Eddie Schwartz dies posted by Sil on February 04, 2009 at 07:25:51:
Longtime WGN radio host Eddie Schwartz dies
By Chicago Tribune
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Eddie Schwartz, who at one time was the top-rated overnight radio host in Chicago, has died at age 62.
Schwartz, a native of the Southeast Side, had battled kidney- and heart-related ailments for the last 10 years. He died overnight in a Waukegan nursing home.
His radio career in Chicago spanned 26 years. After working as a gofer at WLS and WIND, he became a full-time host at WIND in 1973. But he was best known for his stint on WGN Radio from 1982 until 1992, when he moved to WLUP. He left WLUP in 1995.
Much of his popularity stemmed from his love for the city, his concentration on local issues and his willingness to help listeners with their problems. The "Good Neighbor Food Drive" that he started at WGN provided annual sustenance to the city's poor.
But both his homey style and his weight problems were frequent fodder for ridicule by other radio personalities.
After he left WLUP, he became a syndicated columnist for Lerner Newspapers.
In his later years, he was practically destitute.