Legendary Philadelphia rock radio DJ dies at 70: ‘We lost a great friend’

By Chris Mautner, pennlive.com (TNS)

Pierre Robert, who spent over four decades as a DJ on 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia, has died. He was 70.

Beasley Media Group, the parent company of WMMR, said that Robert (pronounced “Ro-bear”) had been found dead in his home on Wednesday. The cause of death is not known but no foul play is suspected, 6ABC reported.

“We all have heavy hearts today,” Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley said in a statement on WMMR’s website. “Pierre’s unwavering love for music and his deep connection with listeners made him one of radio’s most enduring and beloved voices. He will be greatly missed.”

“Pierre’s voice has been woven into the fabric of Philadelphia for more than 40 years,” WMMR DJs Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison said in a statement. “WMMR was his pulpit, and he preached the gospel of rock n’ roll, and gave us all common ground to dance on.”

As the host of the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. slot every Monday through Friday, Robert was known for his long hair, grey beard and his regular welcome to listeners: “Greetings Citizens!”

Born William Pierre Robert in California in 1955, he started working at WMMR in 1981 and would stay there for the next 44 years.

“I came because of a relationship,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2024. “I was in love. The love part didn’t work out, but the job part did.”

He was also known for such features on his program as as the Noontime Workforce Blocks, Pierre’s Vinyl Cut, and “On This Day” music history segments.

“Today we lost a great friend. Someone who truly LOVED music. All types of music,” rock star Jon Bon Jovi said in a post on Instagram. “Someone who loved musicians. Not just famous ones, or chart toppers. He admired local artists and tomorrow’s rising stars.

“His voice helped the hungry and the homeless, and he did it because he cared. About you, about me, about making the world a little kinder wonder filled place to live … his memory will live with us as it will with all of the people he touched.

“The station was lucky to have him on the air. We were all lucky to have him as a guide to his musical galaxy. And I was lucky to have him as a friend,” he wrote.

©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/30/philadelphia-radio-dj-pierre-robert-dead/