Liputan6.com, Jakarta Pierre Robert, an iconic radio host and disc jockey in the South Jersey-Philadelphia area, has died, according to his employer.
Robert was a familiar face for decades on 93.3 FM WMMR and a fixture in the local music scene, according to a statement from Beasley Media Group.
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The 70-year-old was found dead at his home on October 29, according to a police report cited in Beasley's statement.
However, the cause of death remains unclear.
"No foul play is suspected," but the circumstances surrounding his death were not yet known, it said.
Pierre Robert's Early Career
The Truckee, California native began his career after attending broadcasting school in San Francisco and working at two radio stations there, as reported by USA Today.
Displeased when his station switched from a rock format to country music in 1981, he followed his friends to a new home in Philadelphia, bringing with him his love of the Grateful Dead.
"He had no luck finding radio work, so he took a job at Essene, a health food store on South Street," Chuck Darrow, a Courier-Post reporter said after the interview with Pierre Robert in 2001.
Robert then interrupted a restaurant conversation to pitch his services to patrons discussing the radio business, the story noted.
That led to an assistant's position in 'MMR's music department.
Ben Vaughn, a renowned composer, record producer, and bandleader, as well as a DJ who hosted "The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn," a syndicated music show on WXPN 88.5 FM in Philly, called Robert's death a tragedy.
"Losing Pierre is a huge hit for Philly,'' Vaughn said.
"Not only was he a great DJ and on-air personality but he was out in the clubs almost every night catching local bands. It was always great to see him in the crowd. And he was very loyal to the city. Until the end he refused to play Guns ’n Roses because they cancelled a show in Philly and never apologized for it."
Pierre Robert Career at 93.9 WMMR
Robert, known by his signature "Greetings, Citizens!", joined the rock station in 1981 and built a fanatical following "with his unabashed love for music, his listeners, and the city," the statement said.
Robert presents artist interviews and live studio performances, as well as daily features including Noontime Workforce Blocks and Pierre's Vinyl Cut.
Besides his longevity, Robert is also known for his shoulder-length hair and black-grey beard.
"I can’t stand this constant going for the lowest common denominator that a lot of announcers feel is particularly cool," he told a Courier-Post reporter at the time of his 20th anniversary at 'MMR in 2001.
"I believe (radio) has such power to be an elevating force," Robert told interviewer Chuck Darrow.
"Somebody who made a positive difference in some small way."
After joined the WMMR, he filled in as a DJ on the night shift a few weeks later, then moved to the morning shift in 1982 and the midday slot in 1996.
Robert said in 2001 that he did not want to be remembered as a radio giant, but "as somebody who made a positive difference in some small way."
“He was truly a gentle soul,” Darrow recalled of Robert in an Oct. 29 interview. “I would imagine over the course of his lifetime, Pierre had less hurtful thoughts than any other person.”