“Jed The Fish” Gould Dies Influential KROQ DJ For 34 Years Was 69

“Jed The Fish” Gould, the influential Los Angeles radio DJ who lorded over KROQ-FM’s drivetime slot for 34 years, died Monday of lung cancer at his home. He was 69. The news was announced on his Instagram page and social media. “The world lost one of its most unique and brilliant personalities,” the IG post reads in part. “The world will never be the same.” Born Edwin Jed Fish Gould III on July 15, 1955, he joined the Pasadena-based KROQ in 1978 as its musical director while punk rock and new wave were gaining momentum. He moved to the night shift in 1979 and was a big part of the station’s “ROQ of the ’80s” push early in that decade. He moved to San Francisco in 1985 to join KQAK-FM for three months before doing a brief weekend stint at Bay Area rival station KRQR before returning to KROQ and taking over the afternoon-drive slot. During his tenure, KROQ went from also-ran to influencer and leader in the busy L.A. rock radio market. He and the station embraced the changing rock landscape — while rivals including KMET, KLOS and KWST were playing what later in the decade would be labeled “classic rock” and heavy metal, KROQ focused on the burgeoning modern rock scene. Its “ROQ of the ’80s” format also spread, first in California at 91X San Diego and KQAK “The Quake” in San Francisco. Rolling Stone readers named KROQ as Radio Station of the Year in 1992 and 1993. Gould’s 1989 arrest on heroin charges made headlines, and he went into recovery treatment. He and ex-KROQ jocks Chuck Randall and April Whitney created a two-hour radio show called Clean and Crazy. “We wanted to remind people that you can still have fun and be creative, and be clean.” R ImpactX #jedthefish #rimpactx #dies #kroq #edwingould #jedthefish #ripjedthefish #classicdjmoments #musichistory #laradiolegend