# Black radio pioneer Hal Jackson dies.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-radio-pioneer-hal-jackson-dies/622888>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 23, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-radio-pioneer-hal-jackson-dies/622888 "2012-05-23T23:02:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-radio-pioneer-hal-jackson-dies/622888/1 "2012-05-23T23:02:00Z")

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Me and hubby tuned in to Sunday Classics every week to see if old Hal was still alive-- and to listen to oldie R&B. He wasn’t on last Saturday. His wife (also a DJ) said he wasn’t feeling well. [It says he died of an unspecified illness](http://www.bet.com/news/national/2012/05/23/radio-pioneer-hal-jackson-dead-at-96.html) but at 96 (some sources have him at 97), I think what probably killed him was old.

Most of you probably don’t know who in the hell I’m talking about. Still, he was a staple of my life. Bye Hal.

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**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-radio-pioneer-hal-jackson-dies/622888/2 "2012-05-24T00:20:17Z")

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Wow. Nope, had never heard of him, but he was still hosting a weekly radio program at 96? Pretty damn impressive.  
ETA: Not to mention the “first black radio sports announcer” and “first black Radio Hall of Fame inductee” thing. Damn.