MONTREAL -- Longtime Montreal radio and television personality Ralph Lockwood passed away on Sunday.
A family member confirmed Lockwood’s passing to Bell Media. He was 80 years old.
Lockwood was well-known for hosting radio station 980 CKGM’s morning show between 1972 and 1981 and again from 1985 to 1987.
Lockwood dominated the airwaves as a morning man at a time when his station had the lion's share of the city's listeners.
He also hosted an eponymous talk show on CFCF-12.
"He was like a cross-between Groucho Marx, WC Fields and Don Rickles all rolled into one and he didn't have that radio voice disc-jockey.kind of voice, he was kind of the guy at the bar telling the jokes at happy hour," said Marc Denis, who co-hosted special shows with him.
"His technique was to make people the butt of his jokes and the huge apprehension we all had at the radio station was to be mentioned on radio and be the butt end of his jokes."
While Lockwood left Montreal for his native Pennsylvania in 1988, he would return often to his adopted home.
In a Facebook post, CJAD 800 morning host Andrew Carter paid tribute to Lockwood.
"Every time I put on my cote des neiges I will think of him," wrote Carter. "A great radio announcer and a generous man. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."
