Royal Marshall, key part of Neal Boortz’s radio team, has passed
Royal Marshall, with his boss Neal Boortz, at the March of Dimes Achievement in Radio Awards in December, 2010. There, Boortz was given a lifetime achievement award. SOURCE: boortz.com
Raymond Royal Marshall, a crucial cog on syndicated talk show host Neal Boortz’s radio team as a sidekick and engineer, has died.
Pete Spriggs, program director for AM750 and now 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB, said he collapsed at his Atlanta home and was pronounced dead at Grady Hospital at about 1 a.m. early Saturday morning.
Assistant Program Director Condace Pressley said it was too soon to pinpoint cause of death. He was 43.
“He was a good man,” she said. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Marshall worked with WSB Radio for 17 years, according to the WSB Radio biography for Marshall.
Here’s the print edition story about Marshall that ran in Sunday’s paper.
UPDATE (Monday, January 17, 2010 at 10 a.m.): WSB Radio said Marshall had a fatal heart attack Saturday. His funeral service will be held at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur Saturday at 11 a.m. It’s open to the public. WSB aired a tribute to Marshall Monday morning. Boortz announced the death of Marshall to his national syndicated network listeners at 10 a.m. Erick Erickson subbed in for Boortz today. Boortz said he will be back on air Tuesday morning live.
A St. Louis native and graduate of the University of Georgia in 1992, he got his start at WSB Radio as a board operator working overnights. Soon after, he joined Boortz as engineer and board operator.
In 1996, he started his own radio talk show called “The Royal Treatment,” which ran for several years, mostly at night.
After his show ended, he continued to work with Boortz, who is heard on hundreds of stations nationwide.
“There are no words available to express my personal sense of loss at the passing of Royal Marshall,” Boortz said in a statement released this morning. “It’s no stretch to say that I loved that man like he was my own brother. Royal had an unmatched sense of humor and a quick mind that made him a natural for radio, and his dedication to his colleagues and friends was only exceeded by his intense dedication to his family. Our program, WSB Radio and the entire Cox family has lost part of its very soul this day.”
“He was always upbeat, always in a good mood,” said Mark Arum, a traffic reporter for WSB Radio for 13 years. “He was always there with a quick line. We were always each other’s sounding board. He was always ready to lend a friendly and understanding ear.”
Rahul Bali, Marshall’s producer from 1998 to 2005, said he watched Marshall mature from happy-go-lucky bachelor to devoted father and community member. “He just grew up,” he said.
Marshall was a deacon at the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur and chair of the national advisory board at Forever Family, a non-profit organization which helps children who have parents who are incarcerated.
Marshall also dabbled in stand-up comedy at the Punchline for a few years. “He had an easy way with people and was very comfortable with the mike,” said Jamie Bendall, who owns the Punchline. “I thought he was a natural.”
WSB Radio announced the sad news at noon today. The station then held a moment of silence on air for Marshall before airing a special hour of Boortz’s show in honor of Marshall afterwards. If you’d like to sign the ajc.com guestbook, here is the link. You can read WSB Radio’s story here.
In that WSB Radio story, executive producer Belinda Skelton said: “For 15 years it’s been ‘Royal and Belinda. My other half is gone. I don’t know if I can sit and look at someone else on the other side of that glass.”
The station did tributes all afternoon. Arum and Clark Howard joined Adam Goldfein to take calls and reminisce.
Marshall is survived by his wife Annette and two daughters, two-year-old Ava and four-year-old Amira.
Marshall performing at the Punchline. SOURCE: Marshall's MySpace page
And here’s a photo of Marshall with his wife Annette from the Clark Howard roast from 2005, from Marshall’s MySpace page:
And WSB passed along this photo of him at a Fair Tax Rally:
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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880 comments Add your comment
Tami
January 15th, 2011
4:42 pm
I heard about this myself after I stepped out of the hair salon around 12:30 today. Complete & utter shock was my initial reaction. I have done nothing else today but think about Royal, his family, and the entire WSB Radio Team. Although I didn’t personally know Royal, my heart cries for those that did and that he has so suddenly left behind. I love Boortz, but he’ll likely agree with me that his show will never be quite the same.
Freakshow Blue
January 15th, 2011
4:43 pm
Truly a sad day for Atlanta. Godspeed to heaven Mr. Marshall.
Buster and Rachel
January 15th, 2011
4:43 pm
We never even saw a picture of royal but felt like we Knew him well.He will be missed.
Pat Lozano
January 15th, 2011
4:44 pm
I retired and moved to Michigan, but my son in Atlanta knows how much I loved Royal and called me with the news. Came in from ice skating and heard a man who kept me company during the late nights I worked in Atlanta has died. Me and my radio listening to Royal. We love you Royal. You’re a really good man.
Michael P
January 15th, 2011
4:44 pm
Just damn! No words can express the loss that our community and our world has had today. The news was like hearing that I had lost a part of my family. I know Royal will live forever in the hearts of the people that knew him and loved him.
Suzette
January 15th, 2011
4:44 pm
It saddens me to hear that he has left us. He made me laugh when I needed it most. My sincerest condolenses to his family and his WSB family as well.
Glenda Pippin
January 15th, 2011
4:44 pm
So sorry to hear of Royal’s passing. I have enjoyed him on the radio for many years. My heartfelt sympathies to his family, especially his wife and girls.
william
January 15th, 2011
4:45 pm
Royalour friend GOD bless his family & friend.
Kenneth
January 15th, 2011
4:46 pm
He was a good guy. It feels like a family member passing. I am just shocked.
Jim
January 15th, 2011
4:48 pm
This is such sad news. My prayers are with Annette, Ava, and his WSB family. Royal was a true gentleman and a wonderful father and husband. He will be missed so much and by so many. He always had a knack of keeping Neal on track and always had Belinda laughing, as well as me.
I will miss Royal and there is one more bright and shinning star in the Heavens tonight and that star is Royal. God Bless!
Lorraine
January 15th, 2011
4:48 pm
I am so sorry to hear of his passing. He was a great man and will be missed by many, may people. Neal Boortz would agree he was not a “part” or a “sidekick” Royal was a great man, husband, and father, and his loss is felt by many. My greatest sympathy for his family, wife, and children who suffer the loss of a loved one.
PTF
January 15th, 2011
4:50 pm
Heaven is a better place today with Royal’s presence. Such an intelligent man with so much to offer the community and the radio audience. He will sorely be missed. Prayers for his girls and widow and special prayers for the WSB radio family; especially Neal Bootz and Belinda.
john cross
January 15th, 2011
4:54 pm
I am so sorry to hear this news. I enjoyed him on the air and he will be missed. It was too early to take him away. May God Bless.
Doug
January 15th, 2011
4:54 pm
It’s very hard to understand why we lose such good people at an early age. Only to say Royal has touched a lot of us. I haven’t listened to him in a while and I am still saddened and shocked. May the Lord bless his family and friends at this time of loss.
Wayne
January 15th, 2011
4:54 pm
I used to play the BGS translation for coworkers of all colors and political stripes. It always made them laugh until they cried. Huge loss for all Boortz fans. And oh yeah….Just damned!!!
nofreecheese
January 15th, 2011
4:54 pm
One of the expressions Royal often used was “keeping it real”; he always kept it real. My condolences to those close to him who are truly feeling profound loss.
whattha
January 15th, 2011
4:56 pm
Man. Neal, Belinda try and keep up the work Royal would be proud of. You could tell he really loved you both. God please be with his family and his many friends. This blows….RIP
Moon
January 15th, 2011
4:57 pm
I’ve been a listener to AM750 for 20+ years. I was a night student at GSU when Royal had his show at night, and he used to keep me company on my drive home after a long day. I’m so heartbroken by his untimely death. I feel as if I’ve lost a member of my own family. It was apparent that he loved his wife and daughters, and my heart goes out to them and his AM750 family. Bless you all.
HAL
January 15th, 2011
4:57 pm
Gods speed to your family. thanks ajc for honoring neal’s request to change the title of the story. class act!
Paul D
January 15th, 2011
5:00 pm
What a great loss, such a wonderful man. We all will miss him so much.
My sympathy and prayers to his family.
old dawg fan
January 15th, 2011
5:02 pm
May God Bless his family and friends, give them strength to make it thru this very tough time!
I just heard
January 15th, 2011
5:03 pm
da*n just da*n
Carla
January 15th, 2011
5:03 pm
What terrible sad news. SO sorry for his family, his friends…they will be in my prayers. My husband NEVER misses Neal’s show. What a shock.
Wag
January 15th, 2011
5:03 pm
You will always be the man. God bless you and your family!!!! You will be missed.
Maria Myrback
January 15th, 2011
5:03 pm
I’m still in shock over the news of Royall’s loss. We spend years listening to his banter with Neal and Belinda. I remember back when he was still dating, going to clubs and driving the Hummer. He said he would never get married. Then there was all the grief Neal gave him when he got engaged. I’ll let W.H. Auden express my grief.
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Brent Robinson
January 15th, 2011
5:03 pm
Unbelievable! Absolutely Unbelievable! What a tremendous loss! So young, intelligent and full of life! Condolences to the family of this wonderful, energetic and intelligent man!
Brian
January 15th, 2011
5:05 pm
Royal was awesome, and it is so sad to lose such a great personality. I…honestly don’t know if I can listen to the Boortz show anymore. No offense to Neal of course, but it was always reassuring to know that Royal was there to keep him in check sometimes, and stand on even ground with him. Nonetheless, we know that the great people at the station will make sure Royal isn’t forgotten.
My prayers go out to the Marshall family, and everyone else who has had to start this new year with a tragic loss. Life is just so hard sometimes!
Robert
January 15th, 2011
5:05 pm
It isn’t going to be the same. We will all miss Him……………..
Mark Phelan
January 15th, 2011
5:06 pm
Terribly sad news. So unexpected and sudden. He was such a huge part of Neal’s show. He will be missed. And to those who are slinging mud about Neal and the show, stop. This is not the time or place for your childish behavior.
DRF
January 15th, 2011
5:08 pm
Speechless and devastated – too young
James
January 15th, 2011
5:10 pm
RIP Royal Marshall. God bless your wife and daughters and your family.
sah
January 15th, 2011
5:11 pm
A Great Great man – he will be missed by the entire world – so giving and so caring. My sincere condolences and eternal thoughts go out to his family, his friends, and colleagues.
Mike Darity
January 15th, 2011
5:12 pm
Royal was always so upbeat. I really enjoyed his input on issues, He will be missed.
jeffrey ball
January 15th, 2011
5:14 pm
Shaken to the core!!!!! Too short. Stand tall Boortz, Belinda…
Nancy
January 15th, 2011
5:16 pm
Totally shocked and saddened. Another good person gone. The Boortz show will not seem the same without him. Thoughts and prayers for his family.
Lori Stone
January 15th, 2011
5:17 pm
His soothing voice and manner on the radio will be SORELY missed here in Atlanta. Everyone loved him…. I’m so sorry for WSB and his family.
Eddie
January 15th, 2011
5:19 pm
What a terrible loss. My prayers go out to the WSB radio family and Royal’s family as well. May God bless you all.
Nick
January 15th, 2011
5:20 pm
RIP Royal…so sad…he helped make the Boortz show what it is today.
regularlistener
January 15th, 2011
5:21 pm
My deepest sympathies to the Marshall family. You certainly have my prayers. To Neil, Belinda and the rest of the WSB family who certainly loved and enjoyed this co-worker, you also have my prayers for your loss as well. The sudden and unexpectedness of this event is of course most difficult. It is obvious no one will really replace him for you, however I wish for you wisdom and peace as you search.
Royal Marshall, part of Neal Boortz radio team, has passed – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | frilo.net
January 15th, 2011
5:21 pm
[...] See thе article here: Royal Marshall, раrt οf Neal Boortz radio team, hаѕ passed – Atlanta J… [...]
JAS
January 15th, 2011
5:23 pm
Listen to the show every day. Very sad. He and Belinda were always the yin to Boortz’s yang and I loved the dynamic. I’ll particularly miss his golf banter with Neal. He’ll be impossible to replace.
tj
January 15th, 2011
5:25 pm
Very,very sad. You will be missed. Annette and the girls our blessings and prayers .
Steven Baird
January 15th, 2011
5:31 pm
I’m shocked to a great man who had everything going for him and listening to Boortz man a to keeping us laughing. God Bless you and your family we will miss you.
suwanee guy
January 15th, 2011
5:31 pm
As Steamboat said “just damn”. My mornings will not be the same not hearing his voice.
LoyalHiramListener
January 15th, 2011
5:32 pm
Our family was out running errands today when we heard the heartbreaking news. Our sympathies go out to all i his family, friends and work “family.” When I think of Royal, I think if the story he told one time about finishing his homework as a child, then declaring to his mother/grandmother “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almoghty I’m Free at last!”. Before he could get the third “Free at last” out of his mouth, he was slapped and told that that phrase was NOT to be joked about. He told the story as a funny one, and it still makes me smile (and always will). RIP, Royal.
HENRY
January 15th, 2011
5:32 pm
I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY…….ROYAL WAS THE GREATEST………..I WILL SURELY MISS HIM………REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND.
Marni
January 15th, 2011
5:32 pm
I’ve enjoyed Royal and Belinda being part of Neal’s show since 1996. I enjoyed his Royal Treatment as well sometimes at night. I even got to meet Royal at 2 book signings many moons ago and he was always a great guy. I also saw Royal host the Talk Back Live at CNN circa 2000 and could not get over how tall he was! Royal will be truly missed by many people in Atlanta as he was a true Atlanta radio personality institution. I got to listen to a bit to WSB today to hear how his colleagues felt about him; I did tear up over some of what I heard.
Anne
January 15th, 2011
5:33 pm
What a tragic loss! Deepest sympathy for his family and friends. I will miss listening to him with Boortz.
LoyalRoyalFan
January 15th, 2011
5:34 pm
My heart goes out to Royal’s personal and radio families. His talent and greatness will be missed.
Gary Fowler
January 15th, 2011
5:36 pm
I’ve been somewhat a recluse all day today, and just learned this news. I am in shock and disbelief. Such a huge loss. Of course we will all persevere, but for a while it just won’t be the same. He will be sorely missed and for a time there will just be a void. May God richly bless Royals wife and two precious girls. I pray God’s blessing as well on Neal, Belinda, and the entire WSB team. The coming days will be difficult. But I suggest as I believe that Royal would……..just keep it real……….. A fan alwaiys.