Bernard McGuirk, longtime New York radio personality, dead

Bernard McGuirk, a staple of New York radio who reached generations of listeners as a morning-show host and as the controversial executive producer and sidekick on Don Imus' nationally syndicated program, died Wednesday of prostate cancer. He was 64 and lived in Long Beach.

Chad Lopez, president of Red Apple Media, on whose WABC-AM/770 station McGuirk and Sid Rosenberg's "Bernie & Sid in the Morning" aired, said in a statement Thursday that the "husband, father and our friend" died Wednesday "in the company of his family. Bernie courageously battled cancer for all to see and hear, in a manner that was inspiring to all of us."

He added, "Bernie loved radio, and shared his life with the listeners of New York City since 1986 …. He entertained millions across the country working with 'Imus in the Morning,' making you laugh one moment and making you think the next."

Red Apple CEO John Catsimatidis said in a statement, "We are all devastated by the loss of Bernie. He was a true New Yorker whose talent and intelligence propelled him to the top of New York morning radio. He had incredible insights on local, national and world news that his listeners respected. He will be missed by everyone at WABC and his fans around the world."

McGuirk had joined "Imus in the Morning" as producer and on-air foil in 1987 on WNBC-AM/660, which became WFAN later that year. The show became nationally syndicated in 1993. McGuirk developed such characters as the Cardinal, satiric versions of Cardinals John O'Connor and Edward M. Egan. He moved with Imus to WABC in December 2007 after WFAN fired them in April of that year for racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

The show continued on WABC until Imus' retirement in 2018. McGuirk continued to court controversy on topics such as Hillary Clinton conspiracy theories, and he apologized in 2014 for saying Satanists "should be shot." Following the end of Imus' show, McGuirk and Rosenberg launched "Bernie & Sid in the Morning."

Bernard Joseph McGuirk Jr. was born Oct. 26, 1957, in the Bronx. He graduated from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Riverdale section of that borough, and in 1990 married Carol Ellen Petrovich, with whom he had children Melanie and Brendan.

WABC-AM plans a tribute to McGuirk to air Tuesday.