R.I.P.: Philly Radio Personality John Stevens Dies at 66

John Stevens

Former longtime WMMR 93.3 FM and WMGK 102.9 FM radio host John Laboranti — better known to the listening public as Bubba John Stevens — died this week at 66 after a long battle with cancer, according to philly.com.

WMGK announced Mr. Laboranti's death Thursday night via a blog post, calling him “one of the most knowledgable DJs on the airwaves.”

“I will never forget hearing the crazy rock-and-roll stories I used to pry out of him,” says WMGK host Andre Gardner. “He was one of the sweetest guys I ever met in the business.”

Laboranti worked at various radio stations, including WGOE-AM and WRXL-FM in Richmond, Va., WOWI-FM in Norfolk, Va., and WMYK-FM in Moyock, N.C.

He began his Philadelphia radio career working weekends at WYSP 94.1 FM in the late 1970s. Before long, he moved on to WMMR, where he worked afternoons and nights throughout the 1980s and '90s.

Mr. Laboranti’s time at WMMR ended in January 1998, after the Greater Philadelphia Radio Group acquired the station in 1997. After being laid off,  Mr. Laboranti spent several years out of radio.

He made his return to the airwaves in early 2005, when he took up weekend hosting on WMGK,