At the age of 69, Jed “The Fish” Gould, a well-known DJ for 34 years at the alt-rock radio station KROQ-FM, passed away on Monday.
On the radio station, he was referred to as “Jed the Fish.” According to his Instagram feed, Gould passed away from lung cancer, for which he had just received a diagnosis.
Plans for memorial services were not available right away.
According to current KROQ host Megan Holiday, “He (was) one of the kindest, funniest, and most unique people that I’ve ever met,” she told Variety. “He had a contagious enthusiasm and was incredibly creative and inspirational. An arena may be illuminated by him. I simply cherished him and was appreciative of the time we had together.

In 1997 and 1999’s, Gould was selected as the Modern Rock Personality of the Year by Billboard. He served as the anchor of the widely syndicated radio program “Out of Order.” Later, from 2012 until 2018, Gould worked at KCSN. He also temporarily worked at KLOS in Los Angeles.

After sharing news on Instagram, veteran KROQ host Richard Blade wrote, “I have no words right now.”

The message stated, “Music was the reason people came, but the madness kept them there.”

A eulogy posted to Instagram by Gould’s friend Paul Sinacore read, “A legend of the airwaves, Jed was a pioneering voice in alternative radio, a beloved agent of chaos, and the man who made Los Angeles afternoons weirder, louder, and indefinitely more interesting.” In 1978, when KROQ was merely a tiny Pasadena FM station, Gould joined the station. It was among the nation’s first commercial radio stations to play new wave, punk, and alternative acts. The Smiths, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode were among the bands he backed; all three went on to gain a sizable fan base in Southern California.

“The world lost one of its most unique and brilliant personalities.”