Kansas City Radio Legend Mike Murphy Dies

Kansas City radio broadcaster Mike Murphy died in his home Wednesday evening, according to KMBC-TV.

KMBC-TV's Larry Moore and Micheal Mahoney confirmed Murphy's death at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Murphy died from an undisclosed illness. Friends told KMBC he had been in poor health.

He retired in 2004 from radio station KCMO 710 AM.

A fixture on the radio waves of Kansas City, Murphy was a well-known broadcaster who worked for several stations.

He was known for his radio talk program that featured local celebrities, entertainers touring Kansas City and oddball guests. Murphy delighted audiences with his frequent programs dealing with one of his obsessions: unidentified flying objects.



He had some of the nation's leading experts in the field on his radio programs many times.

Murphy made a mark on Kansas City by helping establish the modern Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Murphy and a good friend, Danny Hogarty, complained to themselves and on the radio that Kansas City needed a St. Pat's Parade. As a publicity stunt in 1974, Murphy, Hogarty and some other friends marched around the downtown block where Hogarty's bar was located. Hogarty wore a homemade sandwich sign that said on the front "Parade Starts Here." On the back it read, "Parade Ends Here."

The publicity from the event eventually led to the creation of a permanent St. Patrick's Day Parade that is the largest single day celebration in Kansas City.

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