Longtime San Francisco radio host Ralph Barbieri died Monday after a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74 years old.
Barbieri spent 28 years with KNBR, becoming one of the dominant voices in Bay Area sports radio. He had battled Parkinson’s since 2005 but didn’t tell listeners about it until 2011. His exit from KNBR in 2012 was a high profile story for the wrong reasons. Barbieri sued his employer Cumulus Media for wrongful termination citing his age and disease as reasons for his exit. Despite the messy ending of his relationship with the station, it doesn’t erase the nearly three decades of success enjoyed by both the station and the Bay Area sports radio legend.
Nicknamed ‘Razor’ for his distinctive voice and delivery, Barbieri spent 15 years working alongside Tom Tolbert in afternoon drive on the popular ‘Razor and Mr. T’ program. Upon learning of the news, Tolbert explained what made Barbieri special.
Barbieri’s former partner Tom Tolbert shared his thoughts on the loss of his friend and former co-host. “He was one of a kind, man,” Tolbert said. “He was special. Him and (Gary) Radnich basically built this station. Those were the two guys, the two mainstays, the two pillars that got this thing going. He was fiercely loyal, loved his family, loved (his son) Tate, loved me, I loved him. It was just so much fun.”
Another centerpiece of KNBR’s decades of excellence was longtime host Gary Radnich. He joined KNBR yesterday to chat with Tolbert, Rod Brooks and Larry Krueger about the passing of his friend and longtime colleague adding “When you flipped that dial and heard Ralph’s voice there was nobody else like that. Ralph led KNBR into the hey day of sports talk. He was different on the air…different off the air. An original with a good heart.”
The news of Barbieri’s passing brought out tons of reaction from Bay Area media members and sports figures. All remembered the Razor for his unique gifts as a broadcaster and the memorable moments he provided on the air and inside the studio.
KNBR program director Jeremiah Crowe issued a statement on the station’s behalf and said “We were all very saddened to learn of the passing of Ralph Barbieri. Ralph was a true legend during his 28 years career at KNBR, 15 of those teamed up with Tom Tolbert are a part of “The Razor and Mr. T” show. Ralph had a unique on-air style to go along with his unique voice. He was truly one of a kind. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his son Tayte who Ralph loved very much.”
KNBR also went into their audio archives and located a vintage rant from the Bay Area sports radio legend. To get a sense of who Ralph was and what made him unique click here.
