Beloved San Antonio iHeartMedia radio personality Russell Rush has died following a long battle with cancer. Rush, who was a longtime host and program director of San Antonio's 96.1 Now, announced in 2019 that he was battling T-Cell Lymphoma.
Last week, Rush's wife Saralyn shared he had entered home hospice care.
Rush passed away over the weekend surrounded by his family and friends. "The Lord gained another Angel. Rest In Peace Love of My Life," his wife wrote on Facebook.
A GoFundMe has been set up by a member of Russell's family, and is the best way to help support his family during this incredibly hard time.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-heart-russell-rush
In addition to his work on the radio with iHeartMedia and 96.1 Now, Rush was known for his community involvement. He was also heavily involved with SIDS, Susan G. Komen, Make-A-Wish and several other community organizations.
Rush is also known for his “Russell Rush Haunted Tour” series.
In 2008, the San Antonio Media Alliance named him “Radio Personality of the Year."
Longtime host, Raven wrote on Twitter, "To Russell Rush: Three or more hours alone in a studio each day made you get to know a person (kinda like prison!). I can’t count the number of conversations in there that started with “I know this is going to sound horrible so don’t tell anyone but I always referenced our friendship and our show as the two old guys from the Muppets. We weren’t sure if other people thought we were funny but we sure as heck did (Although our hearts soared when someone would say they laughed listening to us). If I catalogue all the moments of laughter, exhaustion, and joy, I find that I met the embodiment of a true friend who believed and advocated for me more than I ever did. Someone who did so much for the community, his family, friends, and his fans (with tequila.) So the lesson I take is to work like Russell did. Love like Russell did. Care like Russell did. Give like Russell did. Laugh like Russell did (which was a straight up cackle. I mean the guy literally “ha HAAA”’d. I’m really glad I can hear it so vividly still.). Thank you, brother, for setting this amazing example. The influx of love and gratitude that has been pouring through the hearts of everyone all over the country is a testament of your character and legacy one could only wish to leave. We’re all better for knowing you. As we ended each show, going to say your line of “We’ll talk then!”, and then mine of “Good luck finding better friends than us!” one more time. (Don’t know how we came up with that). Gonna start living like you did now."
- You can donate to the GoFundMe page HERE