WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Tim Byrd, a radio legend in Palm Beach County known as "The Byrdman," passed away peacefully on Thursday morning from pneumonia.
He was 68. He leaves behind Sally, his wife of 19 years.
Tim Byrd the Byrdman’s funeral service is set for Wednesday, Feb. 2 at the Beacon Baptist Church of Jupiter at 2 p.m.
Burial will be held at 3 p.m. at Riverside Memorial Park in Tequesta.
The funeral announcement can be found on the funeral home website Aycock-Riverside Funeral Service.
WPTV's T.A. Walker worked with him on the radio.
"Jodi Stewart was his program director where we all worked together at Kool 105.5 in West Palm Beach," Walker said.
"What was it about Tim Byrd 'the Byrdman' that made him so grandiose?" Walker asked Stewart.
"He was a larger than life personality. He was so animated, of course, a longtime respected radio broadcaster," she said.
As a kid, he dreamed of being a "big city radio and TV personality" — and he achieved that in a big-time way.
Tim Byrd loved cars and looked forward to bring by his highfalutin cars to WPTV every year to promote SuperCar weekend.
Byrd was one of the first VH-1 VJs.
Radio's legendary Broadway Bill Lee worked with Tim Byrd at WKTU in Manhattan.
"Tim would always go that extra mile to really listen to people and find out not only what they're trying to say, but how much they really appreciate it and what we were doing on the radio," Lee said.
"He loved his listeners. That was his world. He looked forward every day to answering those phones and talking to his listeners and seeing what's on their mind and what he could do to help them," Stewart said.
He was always professional and prepared.
"Fashionista. Always dressed to the nines," Stewart said.
He was an "early Byrd", known for getting to the radio station hours before his morning show began to prepare for the broadcast.
He demanded excellence from his peers.
"In a sense, he was a perfectionist," Stewart said.
"A perfectionist and it's only because he wanted to get it done. Right. And anybody who's, you know, in this size of a market like New York knows that. You don't want to put anything out there that's not perfect or great," Lee said.
He was respected by his fellow broadcasters.
"To see that Tim is gone, it really hurts, it really hurts. It bothers me," Lee said. "I don't know what to say, but he will be missed, and may he rest in peace."