Jay Severin, the conservative radio host who formerly worked for TheBlaze, has died. He was 69 years old. Severin had suffered from cancer. Severin described himself as a “radical libertine.” During his career, Severin hosted shows on WTKK in the Raleigh-Durham area and WXKS-AM Talk 1200.
A brief statement on Severin’s Facebook page from July 9 read, “We have received valid confirmation that Jay has passed. Thank you for being part of his radio family. May God comfort those who mourn.”
Severin’s former colleague at TheBlaze and Boston Herald Matthew Graham tweeted about Severin’s death saying, “Jay Severin passed away this week. He did me one of the biggest favors of anyone in my professional life: He’s the reason I came to Boston. It took me a while to discover New England, but once I got here, I knew it was the place I wanted to call home. Thanks, Jay.”
Speaking to TheBlaze, Graham said of Severin, “What’s fascinating to me is the number of people who say, ‘I became a conservative because of Jay Severin. That’s his legacy — his civics lesson on the air, that nobody can take away from him.” The founder of TheBlaze, Glenn Beck, is quoted in an article on Severin as saying:
Jay was one of the rare talents that could not only see beyond the headline but had the empathy to understand how it affected the listener. He was a good man, and I’m a better one for having known him.
On May 26, Severin tweeted that his doctor had told him he was “cancer-free.”
Severin Was Married Twice During His Life
Severin was married twice during his life. A September 1993 New York Times feature on Rudy Guiliani referred to Kathleen Severin, a Republican political consultant, as Jay Severin’s wife. The pair are also referred to as partners in the consultancy firm Severine Aviles Associates.
A May 1997 New York Times wedding announcement said that Severin had married Renee Klock, a writer and editor, in Sag Harbor, New York. That announcement said that Severin was the chairman of Severin Media in New York. He is described as being a graduate of Vassar College who received a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University.
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