R.I.P.: KKLA's Frank Pastore Was 55

UPDATE 12/21/2012: A memorial service for KKLA/99.5 FM Christian talk show host Frank Pastore will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, 12205 Pipeline Ave. in Chino.

Original Posting...

Frank Pastore, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who became one of the nation’s most popular Christian-radio hosts, died Monday from complications he suffered as the result of a motorcycle accident a month ago.

He was 55.

KKLA 99.5 FM, owned by Salem Communications,  confirmed the death of Pastore on it’s website:

According to the Hollywood Reporter, just three hours prior to his Nov. 19 accident, Pastore spoke of the dangers associated with his penchant for motorcycles. Radio station KKLA 99.5-FM in Los Angeles on Monday posted a short announcement of its host’s death as well as audio of what it was calling Pastore’s “prophetic sound bite” from the day of the accident. Click here for soundbyte.

On that day, Pastore was discussing an episode of Through the Wormhole, a TV show on the Science Channel hosted by Morgan Freeman. The episode explored the possibility of life after death.

Pastore was born August 21, 1957 in Alhambra and died in Upland, California.

He was a retired Major League baseball player who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds from 1979 until 1985 and for the Minnesota Twins in 1986.

Pastore was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1975 amateur draft.  He made his major league debut on April 4, 1979, at Riverfront Stadium, pitching three scoreless innings in a loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Though primarily a reliever during his rookie season, he moved to the starting rotation in 1980.

Pastore’s best statistical season came in 1980 with the Reds, as he posted a record of 13 – 7 with an ERA of 3.27 in 27 appearances.

After baseball Pastore began a long schooling, earning degrees in business administration, philosophy of religion and ethics, political philosophy, and American government from various universities with graduate degrees in both theology and political science. His book with Tyndale House and Focus on the Family is titled "Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed."

On 5 January 2004 Pastore became the host of The Frank Pastore Show on KKLA 99.5 FM in Los Angeles. Pastore’s show became the largest Christian talk show in the US.

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