What Illness Does Jim Ladd Have? Health Problems And Sikness Explained

Publish date: 2024-05-21

Jim Ladd is one of the last remaining relics of a bygone age where rock and roll reigned supreme.

An American disc jockey, radio producer, and writer, Ladd is one of the few remaining notable freeform rock DJs in commercial radio in the United States.

The fall of rock as a dominant genre in the American airwaves has downplayed Ladd's importance, but he is an important figure nonetheless.

The DJ first gained national recognition by hosting the hour-long and nationally syndicated radio program Innerview, which aired on over 160 stations nationwide and that too weekly. The show went on for twelve years.

In his time, Ladd has interviewed some of the greatest rock acts of the sixties and seventies like John Lennon, Grateful Dead, Rush, Styx, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, U2, Stevie Nicks, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. 

Most recently, Ladd has been running a daily free-form music show on Deep Tracks, A Sirius XM Radio Channel which plays lesser-known classic rock music selections.

From deep album cuts and one-hit wonders to live recordings, Ladd has been hosting the eclectic radio show since January 2012. 

Here are some simple facts about Jim Ladd:

Age:74
Net Worth:$8 Million
Profession:Disc Jockey, Radio Personality, Writer
Nationality:American
Date of Birth:January 17, 1948
Place of Birth:United States
Spouse:Helene Hodge-Ladd
ShowDeep Tracks
Years Active:1969 - Present

Learn More About Jim Ladd's Health And Sickness

Recently, some rumors have spread about Jim Ladd suffering from illness and is in poor health. 

However, these rumors are just that- simple rumors, and there isn't any weight to them. The DJ is still going strong more than half a century into his career.

The Sirius XM show seems to have brought new life into Ladd's radio presentation. He's been further honing his skills.

A method that Ladd uses, which has gained a lot of prominence with his fans, is transforming his song selections into Freeform rock.

Another special thing the DJ does is invite listeners to participate on the air. He takes requests from his listeners, and sometimes these requests inspire entire sets.

Most of Ladd's music sets are organized on a storyline or theme such as the Old West, beautiful women, politics, or fast cars. The DJ has been known to mix his theme of the day with listener requests to spectacular effects.

The way Ladd runs his show, he has three theme-based shows a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday nights.

Monday, or MOJO MONDAY as the fans call it, features the Blues from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

Wednesday midnight features an hour-long uninterrupted segment called "Headsets," a theme-based collage of music blended seamlessly. In this collage, one song leads into the next with sound effects like voiceovers and movie quotes relating to the theme.

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The reason why the program is called "Headsets" is because of Ladd's insistence that fans wear headphones in order to fully experience what Ladd calls the "Theater of the Mind." 

In addition to music, the program also features spoken word and poetry.

The Sunday night show lasts from 9 p.m. to midnight and is another theme show called "Theme of Consciousness" where Ladd takes in listeners' requests for songs based on a single word or phrase. 

What Happened To Jim Ladd?

Respected Radio DJ Jim Ladd has had one of the most spectacular careers in all of Rock and Roll.

Starting from a small Long Beach rock station called KNAC in 1969, Ladd eventually found himself in the Los Angeles station KLOS in a span of two years.

Ladd first gained prominence when he moved to KMET, or "The Mighty Met," as it was known back then, in 1974, where he would remain for the next 13 years.

Those 13 years would be some of the busiest times in Ladd's life as he ran KMET, briefly returned to KLOS in 1984 for two months, and then returned to KMET while hosting and producing Innerview, his hour-long and nationally syndicated interview program which aired at the same time. 

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Ladd worked at KMAT until February 14, 1987, when the radio station made a controversial and shocking move to dump all rock and DJs from the show and focus solely on new age music.

The next decade would see Ladd move from station to station and eventually release his semi-autobiographical book called "Radio Waves: Life And Revolution On The FM Dial."

Another prominent thing that happened to Ladd during this tumultuous decade was when he appeared on former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters' second solo album Radio K.A.O.S where he portrayed a fictional DJ called DJ Jim.

One of the reasons why the late 80s and early 90s were so tumultuous for the DJ is because he refused to follow a playlist that most stations demanded. Ladd marched to his own drum.

Where Is Jim Ladd Now?

Jim Ladd has landed a comfortable career in Sirius XM, but that only came after a decades-long struggle.

After a tumultuous late 80s and 90s, Ladd's fortunes began to change when KLOS hired him in 1997, where he was given free rein over his free-form rock music till October 26, 2011.

Ladd's show was the leader in ratings, partly because Ladd took to social media to interact with his fans and take requests from them through the comments. This method birthed what he would eventually do in Deep Tracks.

On October 26, 2011, Ladd and various other staffers were fired from KLOS after its owner changed, and Ladd gave a three-hour farewell broadcast on the KFI station in Los Angeles.

Still, Ladd is doing much better in Sirius XM. He has also been perfectly celebrated for his achievements as on May 6, 2005, Ladd received a star on the renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

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