OBITUARY Bob Kingsley, Beloved National Radio Hall of Fame Member, Has Died

The country music community is mourning the loss of Bob Kingsley, a radio legend and National Radio Hall of Fame member, who died on Oct. 17 at his home in Weatherford, Texas, while receiving treatment for bladder cancer. He was 80.

Kingsley had spent the last six decades of his life in radio. In 1978, he took over as the host of American Country Countdown after serving as producer for radio syndication company Watermark. Nearly 30 years later, in 2006, Kingsley and his wife and business partner, Nan Kingsley, established Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40, which runs on more than 320 stations and is distributed by Westwood One. The beloved radio host was well known for his passion for country music.

"I love the music and the people who make it," he said, "and I want our listeners to have as much insight into both as I can give them, and to make the experience as enjoyable as possible."

Kingsley’s love for radio began as a child. Polio kept him in bed for a year and he would listen to the radio as a form of escape and entertainment. When he was 18, he joined the Air Force where he served in Keflavik, Iceland, and became an announcer on Armed Forces Radio. When he returned to the U.S., he would go on to work for countless stations including KFOX, KGBS, KFI, and KLAC in Los Angeles.

Kingsley is survived by his wife of 30 years, Nan.

A celebration of life will be held in Nashville on, Nov. 14 at 1:00 p.m. at The CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Kingsley’s name to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund.