Condolences: David “Ace” Cannon
• Details are still incomplete, but late Monday evening we learned that David “Ace” Cannon, formerly half of the syndicated Ace & TJ Show for three decades, died Monday at the age of 56.
The news was broken in a Monday evening social post by The TJ & Riggins Show that reads: Our prayers are with our brother. We are devastated by the news. Please keep Cade, Shonnette, Dax, Amanda and Piper in your prayers. We love you Ace.”
Cannon and fellow Louisiana native Richie “TJ” Beams joined forces in 1993, when the were paired up for the first time on Top 40 KQID/Alexandria, LA. The show has been based in Charlotte since 1998, starting at WNKS (Kiss 95.1), later crossing the street to iHeartMedia rival WHQC in 2012. They returned Beasley’s WNKS in 2022 before migrating across the hall to afternoons on AC sister WKQC (K104.7) last May.
That lengthy partnership came to a surprising end late last September, when Cannon abruptly exited the show and was subsequently replaced by Brian “Riggins” Weber, who joined the show as an intern in 2009 and for the past eight years had taken on more significant role, including that of VP of Programming for The Ace & TJ Network.
After two weeks of silence, Cannon reappeared via a video update posted to Instagram. After thanking his friends and fans “for their love and support during this very difficult time,” Cannon offered a glimpse into how complicated his life had become of late, saying, “I’m taking this time to work on myself, and create a better space for myself and my future. Sadly, I am separated right now, and going through a divorce.”
Cannon went on to explain, “I never really took the time to heal myself while going through difficult situations in the past,” no doubt referring to the unthinkably tragic death of his 21-year-old daughter, Payton, who was killed in a car accident in July of 2020.
Cannon added, “I’m working on becoming the man I want to be, achieving the goals I want to achieve, and most importantly, being the best father that I can be to my children.”
We will share more details as they become available.
