OBITUARIES
ART BELL, THE RADIO HOST WHO PUT THE NORMAL INTO PARANORMAL DURING its peak in the 1990s, Art Bell’s Coast-to-Coast AM night-time radio show was broadcast on approximately 500 North American radio stations, airing from his isolated hometown of Pahrump on KNYE 95.1 FM, the station he founded. It became world-famous for the weird and wonderful topics he explored, from UFOs and alien abductions to conspiracy theories and paranormal phenomena. No topic, it seemed, was out-of-bounds, whether it was Area 51 or Government secrecy. Though he handed over Coast-to-Coast AM to George Noory and George Knapp in 2010, since when they have split the hosting duties, Art Bell continued to be remembered and admired by his huge fan base. The sadness they felt on hearing of his passing at the age of 72 was eased by the realisation that he died of Friday the 13th (of April). He would have been the first to see the funny side of that coincidence. Among those paying tributes were celebrities like Star Trek actor William Shatner and singer Josh Groban, who took to Twitter to recall staying up late to
He is now on another journey
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PSYCHIC NEWS | MAY 2018
listen to the host’s “one of a kind” voice and how “his shows were so weird and spooky but somehow managed to hold off your scepticism”. Bell became an FCC-licensed radio technician at the age of 13 and once set a Guinness World Record for broadcasting solo for 116 straight hours while working as a DJ at KSBK in Okinawa, Japan. He was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008. One commentator praised Bell’s “beautiful otherworldly voice and calm demeanor [which] gave the material a lot of credibility”. His popularity as well as his audience soon soared. “People were known to wake up in the middle of the night and take their car out for a spin, just to listen to deeply poetic, star traveler Art Bell.” The show, which today airs on
more than 600 radio US stations and is broadcast Monday through Sunday from 1-5am, tweeted a comment from its current host, George Noory, who described Bell as “a legend – a radio icon who went against the grain and developed an amazing show. His impact on my life is beyond words. He will be missed, but I know he is now on another journey.” And on its website, it issued this statement: “We extend our deepest condolences to Art Bell’s family and friends. We celebrate him for his brilliant creation of Coast to Coast AM and the many unforgettable moments he shared with us over the years. “As he begins his journey on the ‘Other Side’, we take solace in the hope that he is now finding out all of the answers to the mysteries he pursued for so many nights with all of us. Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly announced the death of the “longtime resident” in a brief video statement. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. n