Cleveland Radio Icon Lynn Tolliver Jr. Dies

CLEVELAND — Longtime Cleveland radio personality Lynn Tolliver Jr. died over the weekend.

Tolliver came to Northeast Ohio in the 1980s and joined 93.1 WZAK. The station had adopted an urban contemporary format and Tolliver brought a "big time radio" feel to WZAK, the station said on social media.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his close circle at this time," WZAK said on Facebook. He died from an undisclosed medical condition, WKSU reported.

Prior to coming to Cleveland, Tolliver spent time with MCA in Detroit as the urban contemporary program director.

According to the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters, he often organized stunts during his shows, offering prizes for listeners who showed up with cockroaches or their underwear on their heads. The antics payed off with big ratings, the Association added.

Tolliver's stations won three Billboard awards in 1993. In 2000, the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters gave Tolliver the Excellence in Broadcasting award, making him the first Black recipient of the award.