Legendary voice of Philadelphia’s 93.3 WMMR(FM), Pierre Robert, was found dead Wednesday. He was 70.
Police found Robert at his home in Gladwyne, Pa., following a welfare check after he did not show up for his on-air shift, according to Crossing Broad. WMMR’s owner Beasley Media said in statement said that the cause of his death was unknown. No foul play is suspected.
Robert, pronounced “roh-BAYR,” joined WMMR in 1981. Station afternoon host Brett Porche said on-air Wednesday that Robert embodied “peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll,” more synonymous with the genre than perhaps any other on-air host in the city’s history.
“People would ask, ‘What about Pierre Robert?’ I would say he is one of the true legendary rock DJs in the country today,” WMMR’s Steve Morrison of the “Preston and Steve” morning show told Philadelphia’s WPVI(TV).
Preston and Steve emotionally took to the air during the Wednesday midday shift to announce Robert’s passing. The station is remembering Pierre throughout the day featuring some of his favorite songs.
While he held a variety of shifts throughout his WMMR tenure, most recently he hosted middays, from approximately 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or what he would refer to on-air as “Pierre Standard Time.”
His regular on-air features included “Pierre’s Vinyl Cut” and the “Noontime Workforce Blocks.” He conducted long-form interviews with an extensive number of artists, ranging from the likes of Mick Jagger to Bon Jovi to Dolly Parton.
“We all have heavy hearts today,” said Beasley Media CEO Caroline Beasley. “Pierre’s unwavering love for music and his deep connection with listeners made him one of radio’s most enduring and beloved voices.”
Robert was a native of Truckee, Calif. He got his on-air start at the legendary progressive rocker KSAN(FM) in San Francisco. Not long after the station changed format in 1980 to country, he headed east.
While the city of Brotherly Love is known for being provincial, it did not take long for its listeners to embrace Robert. He told Main Line Today that his number one music moment during his time in Philadelphia was the July 13, 1985 Live Aid show at JFK Stadium.
Robert was also known for his good heart and time for charities. He hosted an AIDS Walk and supported Manna’s Pie in the Sky fundraiser regularly on-air, along with the station’s other charities, such as its Camp Out for Hunger.
Delaware Valley listeners also fondly listened to his annual broadcasts on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
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