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| Bob James Kevoian (1955-2026) |
Bob Kevoian, longtime co-host of the syndicated "Bob & Tom Show," died Friday at age 75.
Kevoian took a sudden turn for the worse Thursday night. By 5:30 p.m. Friday, his family knew the end was near. His wife, Becky, and their three sons gathered in the room with him, playing his favorite album: The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Side 2. As the final track, “Golden Slumbers,” ended, Kevoian took his last breath while the family sang along, according to his longtime partner Tom Griswold.
Kevoian had been battling cancer for three years but continued living with humor and optimism, even planning a possible trip to Disney World for the weekend.
A raspy-voiced comedian known for his quick wit and often edgy humor on air, Kevoian was the laid-back counterpart to Griswold’s high-energy style. The pair launched “The Bob & Tom Show” in Indianapolis on March 7, 1983. What started as a local morning program blending comedy, talk, news, and sports grew into a national success. It was syndicated in 1995 and is now heard in more than 100 cities.
Kevoian and Tom Griswold cohosted the Indianapolis-based show for more than three decades after it first aired on WFBQ in March of 1983. He retired from the show in 2015 upon his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 2023, he publicly shared his cancer journey through the podcast “The Bob & Cancer Show,” co-hosted with his wife Becky and friend Whit Grayson.
Griswold remembered Kevoian’s approach to the show as simple: “It’s just a conversation between two friends that people don’t hear. They overhear.”