Someone I never met in person, but that I spent many of my mornings with, passed away this weekend. And I’m sad about it. Kidd Kraddick, host of the very popular, syndicated morning show Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, died suddenly on Friday. I was shocked to learn the news late Saturday night.

I don’t think I’ve ever cried over a celebrity or public figure’s death before, but I did for him.

Imagine waking up and listening to someone every single morning as you put your makeup on and get dressed, and continuing as you drive to work, and sometimes keeping the show on via earbuds at the office because the conversation was too good to end. Well, that’s how I’ve spent most of my mornings over the past 17+ years. I will miss hearing his voice. I will miss the show terribly if they cancel it in his absence. My routine of listening was so much more than that. I felt like I was missing out on spending time with friends on the days I couldn’t listen or was out of town.

I felt like I knew him because he – and his crew – shared so much about their lives with us listeners. I feel like he was a part of my life for some reason, but I guess it’s because he was. How can he not have been when he talked to me every morning since I was 10!?

In fifth grade, at age 10, my mom bought me my very first boom box to play CDs on and I was so thrilled. I remember from that point on, listening to my local hits channel in Dallas, 106.1 Kiss FM, in the mornings when I’d wake up and get ready for school. (Retro Kidd Kraddick in the morning in the late 1990s was the BEST; it was more bit-heavy and the bits were all just so funny).

I remember calling in so many times to try and win backstage passes to Nsync concerts; trying to get through to no avail. But finally, 13 years into being a listener, I got through during a bit called “Get Over It” and was able to talk to the cast for a brief moment. It was a memorable moment. I remember saying that Tony Romo needed to get over his broken pinkie and play – since he wasn’t going to for a few games and I thought he wasn’t being very tough. I remember Kidd’s reaction was more of a “oooooh burn” type of reaction. I guess he thought I was being too hard on Tony. I don’t really remember what else was said from there ’cause my call-in was over before I knew it.

I have a lot of great memories from past morning shows….

I remember crying as he would read touching Kidd’s Kids letters from parents, and I especially remember at Christmastime, how he would fulfill Kiss-mas Wishes for deserving and needy families. He was so passionate about giving/helping those less fortunate.

I remember his obsession with Apple and iPhones and having to have the latest technology before everyone else. I remember when he got the very first Kindle and it was like $400+ or something, and I just remember so much little stuff like that.

I remember how mad he made kelly when he made her move out of her space and into the main recording area so she’d be in the Kidd TV shot. That was a funny day.

Craigslist Christmas, Craigslist Valentines Day and all those Craigslist bits from recent years.

One thing that still makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it, is his impersonation of Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Kidd’s remakes of Nickelback songs (click to hear clips from them!). Hilarious lyrics mocking the band and making us laugh hysterically. Gosh, one of them haha, he changed the words to being about meat.  Lol And one was about “really big hands” LMAO.

I wish I has a CD collection of all the shows. I would probably never listen to them all, but just knowing the memories were there to revisit again would be nice. The old shows from when I was a teenager are long gone, but at least there are so many videos, including these:

• 2010 Year in Review – The Best of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning
• 2011 Year in Review – The Best of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning
• 2012 Year in Review – The Best of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning

It’s just that this is an end of an era for me, and all of us listeners. (I remember thinking to myself  many times: “What is going to happen when he retires; what will it be like when they cancel the show; what will I listen to every morning?” I dreaded that.)

So many of my peers and Dallas-ites grew up on the show. And they can totally relate. Most morning shows aren’t good. The ones here in LIT have never measured up (my opinion), but that’s probably because Kidd’s was MY show from childhood, just a family and no one can replace that. His show was gold and that’s why it was #1 in the country and syndicated in 75 cities, and then turned into a TV show. They were a family and he was the dad, and we all felt like he was our family too – saying hi and making us smile every day.

He is missed – in my home and so many others. And so deeply missed by his cast-mates, his crew and especially his family.

I don’t care if any of you read this or think that I’m weird for writing about this, but I have been thinking about this since Saturday evening and I felt I had to use my blog post today to share my feelings. So, moving on past the sad news – in the words of Kidd Kraddick – I’m going to:

“Keep looking up, ’cause that’s where it all is.”