The Gravesite of Michigan Radio Legend J.P. McCarthy

J.P. McCarthy was born in New York City in March 1933.

He went into the army when he was 20 years old and it was during his stint that he became interested in radio broadcasting. After his discharge, he moved to Michigan, where he settled in Flint. He acquired a job at WTAC (“Wee-tac”) but that wasn't enough. He would travel down to Detroit and look for work at WJR, where he was finally given an audition. He was hired as an announcer in 1956.

The then-current WJR morning guy, Marty McNealy, left in 1958 and J.P. was offered to take over the program. Unfortunately, WJR's wages weren't very good, so J.P. attempted to make extra cash by doing commercials – Stroh's beer offered him some work, but WJR told J.P. in so many ways, “no deal – it's a conflict of interests.”

Even though his show was #1 in Detroit, he packed up and left for San Francisco, for a better-paying position.

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Time went by, and WJR was sold to Capital Cities Broadcasting. The president of the company confronted the station manager and asked, “why the &*% did you let McCarthy go?” After hearing the reason and claiming “that was bulls**t”, J.P. was lured back to WJR in the mid-1960s and told he could do as many outside commercials he wanted.

His show once again made it to #1, where it stayed for a whoppin' thirty years.

In early 1995 his health was declining. He was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a precursor to leukemia. He continued with his show as long as he could, and he finally left the airwaves in late July. Approximately two-to-three weeks later, J.P. passed away on August 16, 1995 at age 62.

He is buried in White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, which you can see in the gallery below (thanks to Daryl Turcott for the gravesite images).