Tampa Radio: Former WFLA Personality Tedd Webb Says He Is Dying

Retired Tampa radio personality Tedd Webb – who for over 50 years entertained, educated, informed and infuriated Tampa listeners – says he is dying.

The Tampa Bay Times reports the 72-year-old, who has battled diabetes for decades, announced on Facebook that Friday is his last day on dialysis.

Webb, whose real name is Henry Ruiz, said he will then enter a hospice house.

He could die within one week, Webb told the Tampa Bay Times on Facebook messenger. “My kidneys are 100 percent down. They don’t work. You can’t live without kidneys. I’m at peace with God. My family has given me the green light.”

Webb also had a quadruple bypass operation in 1999 and since has struggled with congestive heart failure. His son Lee Ruiz wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that Webb also has dementia.

“This wasn’t an easy decision for him to make,” Ruiz wrote, “and obviously no one wants to lose him, but there’s only so much one person can endure.”

NewsRadio 970 WFLA’s morning talk program AM Tampa Bay, which Webb co-hosted from 1994 until retirement in 2017, will be dedicated to him on Thursday.

“I want people who Tedd has impacted to call in and let Tedd know what he means to you,” said AM Tampa Bay co-host Aaron Jacobson who worked alongside Webb for eight years. “We hope he will be listening. Tell him how much you love him.”

When asked what Webb means to him, Jacobson sobbed for a few moments and then said, “Tedd is like a father to me.”