Legendary Y-100 DJ Sonny Fox Dies At Age 73

By Anna Gallegos

August 17, 2020

Legendary South Florida DJ Sonny Fox died Friday at the age of 73. His wife Janet Stonger Speziale Fox announced on Facebook his passing at their Dunnellon, Florida, home.

Originally from Michigan, Fox became the voice and personality behind "Sonny in the Morning" in the 1970s. He could be heard on Y100 and other South Florida stations for the next two decades.

There has been an outpouring of memorials on social media about Fox. Friends and coworkers remember him for his sense of humor.

"We worked off and on together for over two decades at four legendary Miami radio stations. He had an amazing comedic mind. He could find the humor in the most mundane of circumstances and through the use of funny voices and home made sound effects make those humorous events come to life on the radio. I had been doing a lot of impressions and characters but needed a straight man and a writing partner," wrote Ron Hersey.

November 17, 1980. It's my first day on the air, doing mornings at WSRF-AM. I'm petrified, standing at the coffee...

Posted by Ron Hersey on Friday, August 14, 2020

Joel Denver, publisher of All Access, called Fox "a real radio craftsman who knew the value of speaking to his thousands of listeners as if they were the only person listening to him at that moment."

Asides from his time as a morning show host, Fox was also know for his "quintessential rock jock" look with his shaggy hair and full beard, according to the Miami Herald.

Fox is survived by his wife and two children.

Photo: Getty Images

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