April 17, 2026Updated April 19, 2026, 9:57 p.m. ET
- Indy radio legend Bob Kevoian, co-founder of “The Bob & Tom Show,” has died at age 75 after a battle with most cancers.
- Kevoian and his companion Tom Griswold began their morning radio present in 1983, which turned nationally syndicated in 1995.
- He retired from the present in 2015, the identical 12 months he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
- In 2023, Kevoian launched a podcast known as “The Bob & Cancer Show” to doc his well being journey.
INDIANAPOLIS — Bob Kevoian awakened Thursday morning with a smile on his face, as he often did. He had years and years of observe laughing within the mornings.
Kevoian had plans for this weekend, which included a doable journey to Disney World. He’d been battling most cancers for 3 years, however he wasn’t stopping. He was making it by way of the great days and people actually robust days and, of course, he was doing all of it with humor.
But Thursday night time, Kevoian took a sudden flip for the more serious. And by Friday at 5:30 p.m., his household knew the tip was close to.
His spouse, Becky, and three sons had been within the room with Kevoian, enjoying his favourite album, The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Side 2. Then, the track “Golden Slumbers” got here on.
“Which was Bob’s favorite. They were all singing it out loud,” mentioned Tom Griswold, Kevoian’s longtime co-host on “The Bob & Tom Show. “And Bob actually took his final breath when the track (was ending). It feels like one thing out of a film.”
Kevoian was 75.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, in the pre-podcast cell phone days, radio was king, and in Indy there was a show that reigned supreme. On air with “Bob & Tom,” Kevoian was the raspy-voiced character spouting comedic quips that would often make listeners blush. Off air, he had a heart of gold.
For more than three decades, Kevoian was a fixture in the city, gaining fame as the more laid back cohort to his on-air partner Griswold’s Type A personality on “Bob & Tom.” Their chemistry struck radio gold.
“We did not know what we had been even doing within the early years,” Griswold says. “But he all the time mentioned the identical factor. He all the time mentioned, ‘Our present is a dialog between two buddies that individuals do not hear. They overhear.’ It’s simply, we’re speaking.”
Kevoian and Griswold founded the morning radio show, which dubs itself a blend of comedy, talk, news and sports (with a nod to some off color topics) on March 7, 1983. In 1995, its popularity earned national syndication and today it is heard in more than 100 cities and on WFBQ-FM (94.7) in Indy.
Kevoian announced his retirement from the present in 2015 as he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In 2023, he made his most cancers struggle public, revealing the primary episode of a brand new podcast: “The Bob & Cancer Show.” The collection, co-hosted by his spouse, Becky Kevoian, and pal and “Bob & Tom” mainstay Whit Grayson, explored Kevoian’s journey from diagnosis through treatment.
Through the years, everyone knew “Bob” from the radio show, but few knew of his incredible generosity, says Mark Patrick, a longtime television sports anchor in Indy who appeared in comedy skits on “Bob & Tom.”
“There had been quite a lot of fundraiser auctions that I’d emcee,” Patrick says. “And there would, inevitably, be a clumsy second when a highly-valued merchandise wasn’t getting near its true goal bid.”
Without fail, Kevoian would jump in with an offer beyond expectation. Once, at an Indiana Children’s Wish Fund gala, he made a bid when he was already the high bid.
“I mentioned, ‘Bob, you’re bidding in opposition to your self.’ And then he received the group and the night time,” Patrick says, when Kevoian responded: “Well, somebody’s got to do it.”
In the heyday of radio’s reign, with Kevoian on the air, he turned a family identify in Indy.
“Bob. One name. One very common name. Yet, there’s only one that anyone in Indiana immediately thinks of. What a legacy,” Patrick mentioned. “Bob Kevoian lived his life exactly like he wanted to. His own man. He fought a courageous battle against cancer the last few years. And he did it, as he always did things, with humor, friend engagement and love for his family.”
To sum up the individual Keovian was is straightforward, says Jake Query, host of sports activities radio present “Query and Company” on 107.5 The Fan and longtime pal of Kevoian.
“Take the best characteristics of your 10 closest friends. Put all 10 of those things into one person,” Query mentioned. “That person was Bob Kevoian.”
Social media was flooded with reminiscences of Kevoian Friday night time.
Follow IndyStar sports activities reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her by way of electronic mail: dbenbow@indystar.com.
