March 14, 2025 • 4 mins
One of the worst moments in broadcasting is having to announce the death of one of your friends. The numbness of the loss takes hold but the message must be delivered to the audience.
Junior Bridgeman, a colossal figure in Louisville philanthropy, a servant of the Lord, and gracious community leader, was struck by a medical crisis at a public luncheon today. He was onstage and told the assemblage "I think I'm having a heart attack."
The word spread quickly and millions of Americans waited for an update. It came about 4 hours after the luncheon. It was not the answer to our prayers.
The devastating loss of Junior Bridgeman leaves an irreparable void in Louisville, Kentucky, the United States, and the world.
Junior Bridgeman, a colossal figure in Louisville philanthropy, a servant of the Lord, and gracious community leader, was struck by a medical crisis at a public luncheon today. He was onstage and told the assemblage "I think I'm having a heart attack."
The word spread quickly and millions of Americans waited for an update. It came about 4 hours after the luncheon. It was not the answer to our prayers.
The devastating loss of Junior Bridgeman leaves an irreparable void in Louisville, Kentucky, the United States, and the world.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Okay, it is now getting out. Reports are getting out.
I'm gonna go ahead and go there now. Junior Bridgeman
has passed away. We're hearing confirmation from multiple sources. Junior Bridgeman,
longtime philanthropist and great soul living here in Louisville, has passed.
(00:24):
There was an episode today at the Gault House. Kent
Taylor from WLK Why I was doing a Q and
A with him. It was in front of a big
crowd for the Boy Scout Jambourine, a fundraiser. That's the
only time Junior really gets on a microphone. He's so quiet.
But he was there speaking and apparently said to the crowd,
the assembled crowd, I think I'm having a heart attack.
(00:45):
So people jumped up right away and did what they
could to care for him, and then an ambulance is called.
They took him to the hospital. This was four and
a half hours ago. The words getting out now. I've
had multiple people contact me I believe are the reliable
sources I'm seeing. It's popping up now on various news sites.
(01:05):
So my heart's broken. I mean, this is such a
high quality person. I've spent a lot of time with
him over the years because we had a little group
of guys to play golf now and again, not constantly,
but enough to spend a lot of time. And you
never get to know anybody better than you spend four
hours with him on a golf course. He just he's
just the kindest person and generous. So I don't know
(01:32):
anything else about arrangements or anything, but apparently he did
not survive. I talked to multiple people throughout the day,
and I was hoping that the information would turn and
we would hear something positive. I've been telling Dave. I've
been updating Dave throughout the day, like you know, I
heard this, but there's still this hope, and it's like
now it's coming out on various news sources. So hearts
(01:55):
go out to Doris. They're beautiful kids. The Bridgeman family
has done so much for so many people in this
community that I don't know that was say everyone's replaceable.
I don't know. I don't think Junior is. He could
have lived anywhere, they could have lived somewhere else, but
he decided to stay loyal to Louisville. I was just
(02:16):
looking at some of my pictures. I have one of
him with Denny Crumb and Mayor Harvey Sloan in the
nineteen seventies when they brought back I guess the Final
Four trophy and it was some celebration there and he
just the joy you see on his face. But to
get him to talk on a microphone, guys, it is
just the toughest thing. But I contacted him last year
(02:40):
when Justin Thomas was going to get his banner on
that side of that building on the Washington Expressway, and said, hey,
would you mind speaking for a few moness. I don't
even know where he was. I could have been talking
to him in Arizona for all I know, because he's
got business in Canada and Midwest and everywhere. And he said,
I'll be there, and sure enough, it was a few
days later, and there he was. He showed up and
he gave a great talk about Justin in his formative
(03:02):
years and how he knew there was something special, magical
happening with Justin Thomas, so junior Bridgeman, but quietly funding
so many things, reading programs, health programs, just community programs,
and never wanting any credit. You want his name on anything.
Doris doesn't want her name on anything. It's just they
do it quietly. God, it's a gut punch, guys to
(03:24):
hear that Junior Bridgeman has passed away. So I am
just passing it along sadly to all of us who
we love him and respect him and the family. And
I don't know we'll ever recover from this one. Just
a horrific news day here in Louisville. So God rest
(03:46):
his soul and enjoy every day of your life. You
just never know. I mean, he's up there doing public
service as always, and then he's gone. Rest in peace,
Junior Bridgeman, all right, And I want to bug bug
out here for the rest of the day, and Jessic
Kelly's coming up in a few minutes. Good Night,
Okay, it is now getting out. Reports are getting out.
I'm gonna go ahead and go there now. Junior Bridgeman
has passed away. We're hearing confirmation from multiple sources. Junior Bridgeman,
longtime philanthropist and great soul living here in Louisville, has passed.
(00:24):
There was an episode today at the Gault House. Kent
Taylor from WLK Why I was doing a Q and
A with him. It was in front of a big
crowd for the Boy Scout Jambourine, a fundraiser. That's the
only time Junior really gets on a microphone. He's so quiet.
But he was there speaking and apparently said to the crowd,
the assembled crowd, I think I'm having a heart attack.
(00:45):
So people jumped up right away and did what they
could to care for him, and then an ambulance is called.
They took him to the hospital. This was four and
a half hours ago. The words getting out now. I've
had multiple people contact me I believe are the reliable
sources I'm seeing. It's popping up now on various news sites.
(01:05):
So my heart's broken. I mean, this is such a
high quality person. I've spent a lot of time with
him over the years because we had a little group
of guys to play golf now and again, not constantly,
but enough to spend a lot of time. And you
never get to know anybody better than you spend four
hours with him on a golf course. He just he's
just the kindest person and generous. So I don't know
(01:32):
anything else about arrangements or anything, but apparently he did
not survive. I talked to multiple people throughout the day,
and I was hoping that the information would turn and
we would hear something positive. I've been telling Dave. I've
been updating Dave throughout the day, like you know, I
heard this, but there's still this hope, and it's like
now it's coming out on various news sources. So hearts
(01:55):
go out to Doris. They're beautiful kids. The Bridgeman family
has done so much for so many people in this
community that I don't know that was say everyone's replaceable.
I don't know. I don't think Junior is. He could
have lived anywhere, they could have lived somewhere else, but
he decided to stay loyal to Louisville. I was just
(02:16):
looking at some of my pictures. I have one of
him with Denny Crumb and Mayor Harvey Sloan in the
nineteen seventies when they brought back I guess the Final
Four trophy and it was some celebration there and he
just the joy you see on his face. But to
get him to talk on a microphone, guys, it is
just the toughest thing. But I contacted him last year
(02:40):
when Justin Thomas was going to get his banner on
that side of that building on the Washington Expressway, and said, hey,
would you mind speaking for a few moness. I don't
even know where he was. I could have been talking
to him in Arizona for all I know, because he's
got business in Canada and Midwest and everywhere. And he said,
I'll be there, and sure enough, it was a few
days later, and there he was. He showed up and
he gave a great talk about Justin in his formative
(03:02):
years and how he knew there was something special, magical
happening with Justin Thomas, so junior Bridgeman, but quietly funding
so many things, reading programs, health programs, just community programs,
and never wanting any credit. You want his name on anything.
Doris doesn't want her name on anything. It's just they
do it quietly. God, it's a gut punch, guys to
(03:24):
hear that Junior Bridgeman has passed away. So I am
just passing it along sadly to all of us who
we love him and respect him and the family. And
I don't know we'll ever recover from this one. Just
a horrific news day here in Louisville. So God rest
(03:46):
his soul and enjoy every day of your life. You
just never know. I mean, he's up there doing public
service as always, and then he's gone. Rest in peace,
Junior Bridgeman, all right, And I want to bug bug
out here for the rest of the day, and Jessic
Kelly's coming up in a few minutes. Good Night,
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