COURTESY SUN MEDIA
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| PROMO SHOTS COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM -ASTRAL MEDIA |
ST. CATHARINES – For awhile, it looked like even cancer couldn’t put ‘Iron’ Mike Bensson down for the count.
After losing parts of his stomach and esophagus last summer during treatment, the Niagara rock radio fixture returned to his job at 97.7 HTZ-FM just six weeks later.
The cancer returned this summer, however, and Bensson finally succumbed Thurs. Nov. 7th.
“It’s been a really tough day,” said Bensson’s longtime friend, 97.7 program director Bruce Gilbert. “Mike started off like a caricature … larger than life. And over time, he just turned into our friend Mike.
“Years ago he was this abrasive, tough as nails kind of guy. And then he’s bringing in the tomatoes he’s growing in his garden.”
Tributes from shocked fans and listeners poured into the station all day, with some leaving flowers by the front door. Jeff Martin , lead singer of The Tea Party, also phoned with condolences. The Tea Party was one of many Canadian bands Bensson championed over the years, giving them crucial exposure on the iconic Yates St. station, dubbed the ‘Whitehouse of Rock.’
Born in Western New York, Bensson arrived at HTZ-FM in 1995 after the Buffalo station he worked at switched formats and fired the entire staff. He started with the afternoon ‘drive home’ shift, and immediately won over listeners with his gruff, politically incorrect style.
“If anything, he changed the way we did radio, I suppose,” recalls Gilbert. “Mike, in every sense of the word back then, was the ignorant, loud mouth American. He didn’t take no for an answer, he was loud and abrasive.
“(But) Mike always has this way of saying anything and getting away with it.”
Former HTZ-FM employee Corey Mottley says Bensson “opened his arms and heart” to him when he started in radio.
“So many fond memories that I hold with and of that man, from duct taping a mic to his hand to go on a ride at Canada’s Wonderland, to all the road trips together,” he said. “That man was a hero to me.”
Bensson did the morning show at 97.7 from 2004 to 2011 before returning to the afternoon shift. Along the way he worked closely with the Niagara Children’s Centre, oversaw the station’s annual Radiothon, and was active in the annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes fundraiser to raise awareness of violence against women.
His sign-off in recent years was “Stay off the pipe and don’t forget to wipe.”
Bensson started feeling ill again over the summer. He left for vacation on July 26, and was unable to return to work. He turned 60 last month.
A benefit for Bensson’s wife Amy will be held at Buffalo’s Casa Di Pizza (477 Elmwood Ave.) Nov. 24 from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.
john.law@sunmedia.ca
Visit "FRIENDS OF IRON MIKE'S FACEBOOK PAGE -CLICK HERE
After losing parts of his stomach and esophagus last summer during treatment, the Niagara rock radio fixture returned to his job at 97.7 HTZ-FM just six weeks later.
The cancer returned this summer, however, and Bensson finally succumbed Thurs. Nov. 7th.
“It’s been a really tough day,” said Bensson’s longtime friend, 97.7 program director Bruce Gilbert. “Mike started off like a caricature … larger than life. And over time, he just turned into our friend Mike.
“Years ago he was this abrasive, tough as nails kind of guy. And then he’s bringing in the tomatoes he’s growing in his garden.”
Tributes from shocked fans and listeners poured into the station all day, with some leaving flowers by the front door. Jeff Martin , lead singer of The Tea Party, also phoned with condolences. The Tea Party was one of many Canadian bands Bensson championed over the years, giving them crucial exposure on the iconic Yates St. station, dubbed the ‘Whitehouse of Rock.’
Born in Western New York, Bensson arrived at HTZ-FM in 1995 after the Buffalo station he worked at switched formats and fired the entire staff. He started with the afternoon ‘drive home’ shift, and immediately won over listeners with his gruff, politically incorrect style.
 |
| PROMO SHOTS COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM -ASTRAL MEDIA |
“(But) Mike always has this way of saying anything and getting away with it.”
Former HTZ-FM employee Corey Mottley says Bensson “opened his arms and heart” to him when he started in radio.
 |
| COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM WEBSITE |
Bensson did the morning show at 97.7 from 2004 to 2011 before returning to the afternoon shift. Along the way he worked closely with the Niagara Children’s Centre, oversaw the station’s annual Radiothon, and was active in the annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes fundraiser to raise awareness of violence against women.
His sign-off in recent years was “Stay off the pipe and don’t forget to wipe.”
Bensson started feeling ill again over the summer. He left for vacation on July 26, and was unable to return to work. He turned 60 last month.
A benefit for Bensson’s wife Amy will be held at Buffalo’s Casa Di Pizza (477 Elmwood Ave.) Nov. 24 from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.
john.law@sunmedia.ca
Visit "FRIENDS OF IRON MIKE'S FACEBOOK PAGE -CLICK HERE
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