R.I.P.: Radio Psychologist Dr. Toni Grant Has Passed

Dr. Toni Grant

Dr. Toni Grant, the Los Angeles-based radio psychologist who reminded listeners in the 1980s that "life is not a dress rehearsal" and inspired a movie called "Choose Me," died March 27 in Beverly Hills, said her daughter Kimberly Warneke.

She was 72, according to The LA Times.  The cause was not disclosed.

Grant was among the early voices in radio psychology. Her on-air debut in 1975 on the KABC 790 AM graveyard shift followed the path blazed by Dr. Joyce Brothers, who was already a household name by then.

Grant said she was inspired by a show on a San Francisco radio station then seeking to capitalize on the popularity of airwave therapy. Her L.A. version of the call-in genre quickly moved to prime time, and by 1981, it was nationally syndicated, reaching more than 180 stations at its peak.

On her KABC show, which later moved to KFI-AM, Grant tackled social issues of the day, such as the proliferation of divorce and the shifting dating scene.

Her advice to troubled callers was sometimes controversial but won her a large following. Critics labeled her anti-feminist for her criticisms of uncommitted intimacy and her emphasis on the importance of femininity and charm for women.

Grant insisted that that she considered herself a feminist and she spoke on behalf of women. She argued that many women wanted marriage but were afraid to say so, and were too easily lulled into protracted dating relationships that did not prove fulfilling.

She was on the air from 1975 to 1990, made a comeback in 1997, and wrote a bestselling book, "Being a Woman: Fulfilling Your Femininity and Finding Love."

Grant eventually found herself jostling with such competitors as Ruth Westheimer and Laura Schlessinger. She was back in a late-night slot in 2001 when KABC-AM took her show off the air.