Remembering Linda Lee
We were deeply saddened this weekend to learn that award winning broadcaster Linda Lee, a beloved 20-year fixture at CBS Radio Country WYCD/Detroit, died Friday, March 31 after a seven-month battle with cancer. Lee, a Detroit native, revealed her Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis in September 2016, just a few months after celebrating her 20th year on WYCD last July. She was diagnosed two weeks before her daughter’s wedding.
From humble beginnings working on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company, Lee began her tenure at WYCD in 1996 as a member of the morning show. She later teamed up with Chuck Edwards for the long-running Edwards & Lee afternoon show. It was a partnership that lasted 16 years and garnered the duo a number of national accolades. “From the get-go, Linda and I forged a friendship that’s lasted for nearly 20 years,” Edwards said. “I could get very mushy about Linda’s attributes, but the glue that kept us together was that we made each other laugh.” In late 2015 Edwards moved to mornings and Lee partnered with Rob Stone, who remarked, “My favorite thing about Linda Lee is her tremendous positivity. No matter what the situation, Linda always finds a way to put her smiling, optimistic spin on things. If we all were as positive as Linda, the world would be a happier place.”
Tim Roberts, CBS Radio VP of Country Programming said of his longtime friend, “Linda has the biggest heart in radio and is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. Her efforts to help the everyday blue collar worker or friend in need in Detroit are unmatched in radio. It’s easy to understand why people love her so much, she pours it out every day.” Debbie Kenyon, SVP/Market Manager of CBS Radio Detroit described Lee as a person whose glass was always “90 percent full.” That’s just who she was.
Despite suffering a recent health setback, Lee had been trying valiantly to get healthy enough to make the trip to Las Vegas to accept her first ACM award as a major market personality. Her co-host Rob Stone accepted the award yesterday on her behalf. Lee will also be posthumously inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in June. She is survived by her husband, Jeff Young, daughter Gina (Dan) Holmes Mills and stepdaughter Alexa Young.
• Leave it to “Radio’s Best Friend” Art Vuolo to devote untold hours of late-night love and effort to produce a terrific video tribute to Linda Lee. As usual, Art went the extra mile — or three — as he combed through his vast video archives for just the right clips and also included some footage from Sunday’s ACM Awards show. We invite you to spend a few minutes and enjoy this beautifully produced tribute to a beloved radio pro.
