‘Oldies but goodies’: Longtime radio DJ Art Laboe dies aged 97

DJ Art Laboe in his studio (Russell Contreras/AP)

Art Laboe, the pioneering radio DJ who read heartfelt song dedications to generations of loyal listeners and was credited with helping end segregation in southern California during an eight-decade broadcast career, has died aged 97.

Laboe died on Friday night at home in Palm Springs, California, after catching pneumonia, said Joanna Morones, a spokesperson for Laboe’s production company Dart Entertainment.