Legendary radio icon Pat O’Day facing brain surgery

“Never underestimate Pat O’Day,” is the message from the
Northwest radio legend’s family as he was scheduled to head into brain
surgery on Thursday.

Reports say O’Day’s surgery is now scheduled for Friday.

O’Day’s family feared the worst on Monday when he lost
memory and use of his fingers. He took a ferry from his
San Juan island home to the emergency room in Anacortes.

Doctors discovered a benign tumor was pressing the right
frontal lobe of his brain against the skull.

Medication has already improved 77-year-old O’Day’s
condition, and surgeons believe the tumor is easily
removable.

What hasn’t Pat O’day done in his life? In the 1950’s and
60’s, the man born as Paul Berg ruled Seattle’s radio
airwaves. The KJR afternoon disc jockey once got a 42
share of listeners. Later he ran that station and owned
KYYX.

O’Day promoted popular teen dances at the Spanish Castle
Ballroom, booking acts like the Wailers and Jimi Hendrix.
He tells remarkable behind-the-scenes stories about
concerts with Tony Orlando, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lee Lewis,
and the Beach Boys.

O’Day entertains hundreds-of-thousands of hydroplane fans
with his passionate play-by-play at Seafair. It was my
privilege to share the microphone with him the last three
years he called those thunderboat races on radio.

Nowadays, O’Day owns the John L. Scott Real Estate
franchise on San Juan Island.

He’s also raised thousands of dollars for community
charities and organizations through his annual celebrity
golf tournament.