R.I.P.: Topeka's 'Radio Rich' Bowers Has Passed

Relatives, friends and listeners Wednesday were mourning the death of longtime Topeka radio personality Richard “Radio Rich” Bowers.

Bowers died Tuesday at the age of 60, according to cjonline.com.

Bowers teamed up with Louann Fulmer as part of a popular Topeka radio duo for 16 years.

“Radio Rich and Louann” spent a decade co-hosting a show on Country WIBW 94.5 FM before spending six years on KQTP 102.9 FM US103, where they were laid off in 2008 as part of corporate-wide budget cuts by the station’s owner, Cumulus Media, Inc.

Bowers then ran his own online radio operation while Fulmer turned her vocational attention to teaching.

In posts made Thursday on Facebook, friends of Bowers expressed condolences to Nick Bowers and Richard Bowers’ wife, Shirla.

They said Radio Rich and Fulmer were “number 1” among local radio shows for years for good reason, adding that he was a “great guy” who made a significant impact on his listeners.

Joey Little, whose radio name was “Joey Baggz,” told The Capital-Journal he got to know Bowers as both worked on morning shows between 2006 and 2008 at Cumulus Media, in adjacent studios. Little worked for KDVV-100.3 FM V-100.

“The thing about him that I noticed was his love for his listeners,” Little said. “He really cared about his listeners.”