R.I.P.: Montgomery Radio Personality Ben Hagler Was 47

Ben Hagler

Longtime Montgomery radio personality and musician Ben Hagler died suddenly on Christmas Day while with his family, according to friends and colleagues.

He was 47, according to The Montgomery Advertiser.

Hagler, a drummer and singer, was active in the Montgomery music scene for decades, was a fixture on local radio through the years. At the time of his death he was a host for Rock WJKI 107.1 The Vault and Alternative WGMP 104.9 The Gump.

Rick Peters, owner of parent company Bluewater Broadcasting, said Hagler was already a presence here when Peters bought the stations. They quickly became friends.

“I don’t think he had a bad bone in his body,” Peters said. “He’d do anything for you.”

The Montgomery Area Musicians Association posted Tuesday on social media that Hagler was spending Christmas with his family when he said he wasn’t feeling well and went to lay down. They later found him unresponsive and paramedics were unable to revive him, the group said.

Peters said Hagler had some minor health issues but “nothing a lot of us don’t have.”