There was a time in Vancouver, a time when radio was king and disc jockeys were media stars and when Fred Latremouille was the prince of the airwaves, an engagingly glib and honey-voiced broadcaster whose loyal followers stayed with him throughout a career that lasted nearly 50 years.
When Latremouille died Thursday at the age of 69 at his vacation home in Scottsdale, Arizona, following a brief illness, he left a legacy unmatched in the business, charming listeners of all ages and introducing them not only to rock ’n’ roll and adult contemporary music but, later in his career, his trademark “Latremorning” radio shows.
Latremouille, like many in the business, seemed forever to be changing spots, moving from station to station, but always taking with him the listeners who couldn’t imagine starting the day without his energetic yet laid-back approach.
When Latremouille signed on, it was as if he landed in the broadcast booth every day sporting shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, sipping a mai tai and preaching the gospel of chill. He was smart and funny, a thinker but also a joker, and if he bristled at authority, he still brought in the numbers for the bosses, his love of leisure and his quick wit an infectious combination.
Vancouver broadcaster Fred Latremouille, whose affable voice was the first thing thousands of people woke up to every morning for years, has died at the age of 69..
Latremouille was a fixture on the city’s radio scene from the 1980s to 2007 as he moved to various stations in the city.
After retiring, Latremouille spent time in Hawaii and then settled in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he died at his home after a brief illness.
Latremouille began his career in radio as a teenager before he even graduated high school, and he went on to work in television as an actor and weatherman whose humour was his hallmark.
He won several awards for his advertising genius, is a member of the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and has a star on the B.C. Walk of Fame.
In the mid-1980s, Latremouille made a name for himself on the morning show at CFUN, where he teamed up with co-host Cathy Baldazzi, who would later become his wife.
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