Jean Shepherd, the velvet-voiced, sardonic story-teller who chronicled his off-beat boyhood in the Midwest, died yesterday. He was 78.
Shepherd, who was dubbed “the first radio novelist” by media critic Marshall McLuhan, died at Lee Memorial Hospital, near his home in Sanobel, Fla., said a friend, Irwin Zwilling.
Born July 21, 1921, in Hammond, Ind., Shepherd launched his radio career at age 16 as a sportscaster for a local station.
He went on to a 21-year stint with WOR, where he worked his shows without a script – concocting characters based on his childhood memories.
While best known for his work on the airwaves, Shepherd also published books – and was beloved by fans for the 1983 hit movie, “A Christmas Story,” a tale of 1940s Yuletide follies.
Shepherd’s third wife, Leigh, died last year. He had no survivors.