[msb-alumni] Famed Detroit Personality Jamie Samuelson Dies at 48, Articles
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2020 17:12:19 -0400
BlankDetroit media personality Samuelsen dies at 48 Longtime figure in local
area
succumbs to colon cancer on August 2, 2020
He only let us know he had colon cancer last week, I wonder if he knew then
that the
prognosis wasn't good.
I remember the old criteria was no need to get screened before 50, but he
obviously
got it when he was 46. R.I.P.
Steve
Detroit media personality Samuelsen dies at 48 Longtime figure in local area
succumbs
to colon cancer By Anthony Fenech Detroit Free Press
Jamie Samuelsen, a longtime voice on the Detroit sports media scene, died on
Saturday
after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. He was 48 years old. Samuelsen was
diagnosed with colon cancer 19 months ago but kept his condition private until
last
week. Samuelsen died on Saturday tonight. He is survived by his wife, Christy
McDonald, and three children, Caroline, 16; Josh, 14; and Catherine, 11.
Samuelsen
spent nearly his entire professional career in the Detroit market, most
recently on
WXYT co-hosting the "Jamie and Stoney" morning show with Heather Park since
2016.
Before that, Samuelsen spent time at WDFN, WRIF and WCSX on the radio, Fox 2 on
television and wrote blog posts on Freep.com for over a decade. One of
Samuelsen's
longtime cohorts on radio and television, Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski,
announced Samuelsen's death on Twitter on Saturday night on behalf of the
family.
Wojnowski said Samuelsen was "surrounded by his wonderful family, and he went
peacefully. Samuelsen informed his listening audience about his diagnosis on
Monday
and spoke to the Free Press about his diagnosis, saying he kept it quiet to
protect
his children. "Obviously, all of our lives were turned upside down when we
found out,
but we wanted to make their lives as normal as possible," he said. "Plus, given
the
fact that I work in radio and my wife works in TV, I wanted to make sure it
didn't
affect their lives. "The most emotional moments for me, throughout this entire
thing,
have been the reality of family," Samuelsen said. Samuelsen grew up in northern
California and began his career in Chicago in the mid-1990s after graduating
from
Northwestern.
*****
Friends warmly remember Samuelsen By Anthony Fenech Detroit Free Press
Reality set in earlier this week, when some of Jamie Samuelsen's closest
friends
stopped by to say goodbye.
Samuelsen, 19 months removed from a colon cancer diagnosis he kept private, was
fading. He was not in pain but his energy was drained.
On Monday morning, Samuelsen told his longtime listening audience on the "Jamie
and
Stoney" show on WXYT-FM (97.1).
The next day, his friends who had long since known about his diagnosis came by
his
house.
"It was beautiful," Fox 2 sports director Dan Miller, who worked with Samuelson
since
1997, said on WXYT on Sunday afternoon. "I hadn't seen him in some time and as
we
began to see what the finality of this was and where this was headed, I think
it was
just so meaningful to be able to sit with a group of his friends and be able to
talk
to him one final time."
Samuelsen, the longtime Detroit sports media voice for more than 25 years, died
on
Saturday afternoon, August 2, 2020. He was 48 years old.
"It wasn't dark, it was beautiful," Miller said to radio host Pat Caputo during
the
Tigers' rain delay. "And just as I'll always remember everything about Jamie,
I'll
remember that as being the final time. But in many ways, that was just another
time,
because he was Jamie and that was a beautiful thing."
Along with Miller, a pair of Samuelsen's longtime radio partners Mike Stone and
Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski and longtime WXYT producer Evan Jankens,
the
group found closure in their friendships with Samuelsen and the struggles he
faced
since his diagnosis in January 2019.
"One of the greatest human beings I've ever known," Stone said on WXYT, clearly
still
dealing with the emotions of a day earlier, when he spent time at Wojnowski's
house
after receiving the news. "Everybody was so correct: He was just one of a kind."
Both Miller and Stone said that the sudden nature of Samuelsen's death came as
a
surprise, given how strong he had looked and sounded throughout the process.
"He never let on, never," said Stone, Samuelsen's radio partner in morning
drive the
last four years. "It wasn't until two weeks ago that he let us know that it was
really, really serious, but that's the way he wanted it to be. It was tough and
what
I didn't realize is that even through the COVID stuff, I never knew until the
end how
much of a struggle it was for him to do four hours on the radio."
During the coronavirus pandemic, Samuelsen had been broadcasting from his
basement,
which Stone thinks was a blessing.
"He didn't know if he'd be able to drive to work and he never let us know that.
We
never knew that until the very end."
Samuelsen, who grew up in Northern California and graduated from Northwestern,
introduced himself to the Detroit market in the mid-1990's. He has been a
mainstay on
the radio, working for WXYT, WDFN, WRIF and WCSX. He was a consistent
contributor to
Fox 2 television and has written a weekly blog for Freep.com for the past
decade.
But, as evident in the social media reaction following his death, while
Samuelsen was
most known for his public persona, those close to him remember his private
persona.
"Jamie was one of the most genuine guys I've ever met," former WXYT on-air
personality Mike Sullivan said. "One thing that always stood out to me was
simply how
he treated other people."
Sullivan met Samuelsen in 2013 as an intern at WXYT.
"He has obviously gone through a lot lately in his battle, yet amidst
everything, he
still somehow took time two weeks ago to send me a beautiful message wishing
luck in
my next chapter," Sullivan said. "It's just the guy he was. He cared. And he
always
treated everyone around him with respect. I'll always remember him bringing his
kids
into work and seeing first-hand how great of a father he was too. Jamie will be
deeply, deeply missed."
*****
Stoney's amazing tribute to Samuelsen A heartbreaking, grieving broadcast: "We
loved
Jamie" By Jeff Seidel Detroit Free Press
About 20 minutes before sunrise Monday morning, a voice came on the radio,
cracking
through the darkness.
"Good morning, everyone," Mike Stone said at the start of the "Jamie and
Stoney" show
on WXYT-FM (97.1).
"Usually we start on Mondays, especially when Jamie was driving the show: "How
was
your weekend? How's everybody doing? What's the weather like?"
Stone took a quick breath.
"We know how our weekend was," Stone said. "And for those of you who don't know
a
rock, the guy who drove our show, one of the best friends I've ever had over
the past
25 years since 1994"
He cleared his throat.
"Passed away at the age of 48 frickin' years old."
Jamie Samuelsen, his radio partner, died Saturday after a 19-month bout with
colon
cancer. He was 48 years old.
"We loved Jamie," Stone said. "And as we found out over this weekend, you loved
Jamie."
Samuelsen's death has rocked the sports world in Detroit and beyond. Reaction
has
come from across the country in touching tweets and tributes, videos and
columns.
"As you know, last Monday, Jamie came forward on this program and revealed to
us he's
been fighting colon cancer for the last 19 months," Stone said. "We knew about
the
colon cancer. And it wasn't till the last few weeks that he really started to
have a
problem with it because he never let anybody know. That's how strong he was."
Stone cleared his throat. "That's how tough he was," Stone said. "That's how
dedicated he was."
A radio community mourns
This wasn't a four-hour radio broadcast. It was an entire sports community,
grieving
together.
"You guys are a family we feel like we get to know you," a listener said. "I
never
met Jamie, but I felt like I knew him."
That's why this has hit Detroit so hard. Everybody who listened to 97.1 The
Ticket
felt they knew Jamie -- this smart, witty, amazing man -- because they listened
to
him day after day, year after year. And he was the best of us.
"Jamie was our voice of reason," a listener wrote in a text message.
Samuelsen was blessed with a dry sense of humor and a massive heart. He was a
wonderful family man, the smartest guy in the room, but he never shoved it down
your
throat.
"Over the weekend when I heard this," a listener said with a sigh, full of
anguish.
"He was just a good guy -- sensible. Rational. My heart goes out to his family."
Heartbreaking and beautiful
This broadcast felt like an emotional party after a funeral, where a bunch of
old
friends -- the true, genuine friends, the ones you call when you absolutely
need
somebody -- hang out, tell stories and retell old jokes. It was heartbreaking
and
beautiful.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you guys for putting your hearts on the line
and
giving us some closure," a listener said. "The loss you guys are feeling is
tremendous."
Some listeners were choked up, sharing their grief. "I've listened to you guys
for
years," a listener said, his voice cracking as she sniffled. "You guys are like
family. When I heard the news Saturday, I lost it. You guys are like family and
I
feel like I lost one of my own."
It was like they were all getting through it together -- the listeners and the
team
from the "Jamie and Stoney" show.
"You know, we need you guys as much as you need us in these situations," Stone
said.
It wasn't all tears. Stone told some great stories, like the time he traveled
across
the country with Jamie on a white-water rafting trip, and they called up AM
radio
stations along the way, knowing they weren't on a delay and cussed and asked
crazy
questions, just to have fun and pull some pranks.
Yes, Samuelsen could laugh. But he was also the type of person who sent out
Christmas
cards, writing a paragraph on each one, making sure to individualize them.
"He took the frickin' time to make them all personal -- about the person he was
sending the card to," Stone said. "And I was in bed last night and I just
remembered
that."
Calls came in from around the country.
One of his college roommates called from Washington, D.C, and so did Dave
Revsine, a
Big Ten Network studio host. Revsine and Samuelsen were in the same
fraternity
together at Northwestern.
"He was in Detroit for 25 years," Revsine said. "His listeners loved him as
much as
his college buddies did. And yes, that's amazing."
"No one loves you more than your college buddies," Revsine said.
A toast to
Jamie Samuelsen kept his battle against cancer private until last week, when
his
condition worsened. Stoney and several of his friends visited Jamie last week,
and
they said goodbye.
"We were in his bedroom," Stone said. "We were telling some jokes. He was
having a
good time. Obviously didn't look well. And it was tough for him. Obviously, it
was
tough for us. And he told us each that he loved us."
Stone went home thinking the worst: We may never see him again.
On Saturday, Stone was at a WXYT golf function and gave a toast to Samuelsen.
Later,
they figured out the toast happened within minutes of his passing.
He never suffered and died in peace, surrounded by his family.
And Monday morning, several listeners sent in pictures of a rainbow over Troy.
Which
was perfect and fitting.
An important message
The reaction has been pouring in.
Dan Miller, one of Samuelsen's best friends, posted a wonderful video tribute.
The Tigers had a wonderful moment of silence.
Sunday Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill posted a tweet, which absolutely summed up
Samuelsen:
"Jamie had a warmth that invited you into a conversation with a friend rather
than an
interview with a reporter," Blashill wrote. "Jamie's kindness always showed,
even
when asking tough question, I always knew it was never personal and never about
him.
Jamie wanted to report on the story, never be the story. Jamie's civility and
integrity was always present. We need more of that today."
Lions coach Matt Patricia called in to the station on Monday morning.
"What an unbelievable person he was," Patricia said. "I just wanted to call in.
My
heart really hurt when I heard the news and obviously it was just so quick. But
you
know, just what an amazing guy."
But Patricia also brought up an important point. Perhaps, the most important.
Patricia talked about the need for people to get a colonoscopy. That was a
reoccurring theme on Monday morning -- everybody urging each other to get
tested.
Several listeners said they were inspired and have signed up.
"The colonoscopy test is something that people don't like to talk about,"
Patricia
said. "Just personally, having a lot of people that has been impacted with that
type
of cancer, I think we have to urge everybody to be safe and go out and make
sure that
everyone's okay."
"Jamie, I loved you"
Stone tried to find some solace in lyrics, reading lyrics from Bruce
Springsteen
"Blood Brothers" and the Beach Boys "God Only Knows."
"We'll all get through this eventually," Stone said, his voice cracking,
nearing the
end of his show.
"It's going to be hard. It's going to suck. Don't worry about us. We'll figure
it
out."
He was sniffling. After holding it together for nearly 4 hours, the grief was
washing
over him.
"Jamie, I loved you," Stone said. "We love you. We love your family."
Stone broke down crying, sobbing on the air. How he held it together that long
was
beyond remarkable.
But he found one final bit of strength to finish the show. A pro's pro, just
like
Jamie.
"97.1, The Ticket."
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