WDKX DJ Tony Boler has died

Rochester radio has lost a signature voice with the untimely
passing of WDKX disc jockey Tony Boler. According to long-time friend and
musician Jimmie Highsmith Jr., Boler died Monday morning in his sleep. He was
63.

You can read WDKX’s statement on Boler here.

Boler was
wildly popular on the air with his weekend “Memory Lane” show, playing old
school soul and R&B, and with his “Quiet Storm” show on weeknights. Both
shows were on WDKX where Boler had worked as an on-air personality since 1991.

“He was such
an encyclopedia of music,” Highsmith says. “And he loved The O’Jays. He called them
the Mighty, Mighty, Mighty O’Jays.”

Rochester
Mayor Lovely Warren weighed in on the news, releasing a statement saying that
she was heartbroken upon hearing the news of Boler’s passing. He was the DJ at
her wedding.

Highsmith
says the community has suffered a loss, and plans are under way for a tribute event
to Boler, the man who many referred to affectionately as “Uncle Tony” and
“Grandpa Tone.”

“He was the
perfect example of a father and a gentleman,” Highsmith says. “And he was all
about the love.”

This article appears in May 3-9, 2017.