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With a heavy heart, Ear Hustle 411 has learned that Chicago radio legend Doug Banks has passed away due to complications of diabetes.

BREAKING NEWS: I am stunned to hear of the death of Doug Banks. I heard he was not doing well and had failing kidneys. This is just so hard.

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) April 11, 2016

Doug Banks was Philadelphia born, Detroit raised Banks  and began his radio career broadcasting on on a high school radio station. From 1986 to 1994, Banks did nights then a morning show for WGCI-FM which is a radio station based in Chicago, IL.

In 1997, Banks moved to a morning show called The DJ Hugley show sidekick DeDe McGuire and rose to become one of the top-rated syndicated urban programs in America. Unfortunately the show was cancelled in January 2008 and was relaunched  under the new name The Ride with Doug and DeDe in the process.

Fellow radio friend Rick Party  made the following as a tribute to Doug:

“Give people their flowers while they’re still alive. Doug Banks (RIP) was truly one absolute best ever!”

“I had the pleasure of first meeting Doug over 30 years ago before I started radio, I was just a teenager riding my bicycle as a messenger in the city of Chicago. I was riding along Chicago Avenue and State St and I saw Doug Banks, Shirley Strawberry and Jerry “The Curl man” Cook grabbing a bite to eat for lunch. I said, “Hey your Doug Banks,” and he said yes what’s your name? I introduced myself and told him that I would love to be a radio personality one day. My mom immediately enrolled me into Columbia School of Broadcasting and I became a radio professional.

I left Chicago to pursue my dream for a few years, and was hired to work at the #1 radio station in my home town WGCI alongside; Tom Joyner, Shannon Dell and Doug Banks.

Doug & I became good friends, in fact, I was with him when he met Wendy, Married her and had two amazing daughters.

As fate would have it, Doug and I became neighbors here in Sunny Isles Beach in Miami 5 minutes away from Tom Joyner.”

Doug was diagnosed with diabetes in the 80s, and when I saw Doug a few months ago in the neighborhood on his way to CVS he didn’t look so well as we chatted about catching up for lunch. Shortly thereafter, I called Wendy, though they were not together at this time, but I knew they were still good friends, and she said that “Doug is just going through complications of diabetes, but thanks for checking on him.”

Shortly thereafter, Doug’s sickness got the best of him and 2015, so he took some time off, but he returned to radio in early 2016.

Sadly, This morning, our Good friend & Former Agent, Brad Ginsburg, reached out to me and told me that our good friend, Doug Banks, is finally at peace.

He will be greatly missed!”

Doug Banks is a legend that will be truly missed. Ear Hustle 411 send our condolences to the Banks family.

Sources: Radio Facts Wikipedia