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Monson was hospitalized after suffering a “cardiac event” at home on Thursday, Dec. 29. He died at a Seattle hospital on Dec. 31.
Monson was the host of the highly-rated Dori Monson Show on KIRO-FM. The station described Monson as a “longtime watchdog of government and social issues.”
Bonneville International Corporation, which owns KIRO-FM, said in a statement that Monson had dealt with health issues over the past few years.
Dori Monson, a right-of-center radio host with KIRO (710 AM, 97.3 FM) in Seattle and a member of the Seahawks broadcast team, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 61.
In a statement on Sunday, a spokesperson for KIRO’s parent company, Bonneville International, said Monson was hospitalized earlier in the week due to a “cardiac event” and died on Saturday.
Monson graduated from the University of Washington and worked for NBC affiliate KING (Channel 5) and KING (1090 AM, now KPTR) before moving to KIRO in the early 1990s, according to the Seattle Times newspaper.
In June, Barrett Sports Media profiled Monson’s meteoric rise in local media, including a decision at KING that would propel his radio career.
His Seahawks-related programs ended in 2020 over a controversial social media posting. Monson later claimed the post was out of context. He continued hosting his show with KIRO until his passing on Saturday.
“We, along with Dori’s family, are mourning his loss,” Cathy Cangiano, the market manager for Bonneville in Seattle, said in a statement. “We are working on on-air tributes to memorialize and celebrate his life and legacy.”
Monson leaves behind his wife and three adult daughters.
Monson hosted his highly rated three-hour show each weekday, and for many years had been a part of the Seahawks radio broadcast team and local sports.
KIRO Newsradio described him as a “longtime watchdog of government and social issues” and said the station is working to create on-air tributes.
A written statement from Bonneville International, which owns KIRO-FM, said Monson suffered a “cardiac event” at home Thursday and was hospitalized.
Monson attended the University of Washington and worked at KING-TV and KING Radio before joining KIRO in the early 1990s.
His energetic weekday show from noon to 3 p.m. regularly featured state politicians of both parties and a snappy review of news headlines he called “the fastest 15.” He was a persistent critic of Sound Transit and the Highway 99 tunnel. On any given afternoon, Monson’s show could be heard from boomboxes and parked vans at neighborhood housing construction sites In 2016, Monson coached the Shorecrest High School girls basketball team to its first state title. He called that championship run “other than family stuff, probably the most exhilarating life experience I’ve had.” But he was also averaging a 75-hour workweek, he said.
Monson frequently took aim at the administration of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, in particular the state’s loss of massive amounts of unemployment-insurance money to scammers early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also made it a point to thank on-air guests of both parties, especially when elected officials and agency executives were willing to take his skeptical questions live.
He was suspended from his show for 2½ weeks, and apologized, for an insensitive tweet in 2020 about transgender people being able to change their Washington state birth certificates. He was suspended indefinitely by Bonneville from hosting Seahawks’ pregame and postgame shows.
Despite health issues in recent years, Monson enjoyed deep-sea fishing with colleagues and playing pickleball with his family, the station said. He leaves behind a wife and three adult daughters
