Biography

He passed away almost immediately after returning home from a promotional tour for his autobiography "Have Mercy". He entered his house, hugged his wife, said "Oh, it is so good to be home!" and literally passed away in his wife's arms.

A final tribute show aired one week after Wolfman Jack's sudden death on over 100 radio stations.

Wolfman Jack was an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, where he was officially known as and nicknamed "Reverend Jack".

"Wolfman Jack" was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame (1996).

He was a fan of disc jockey Alan Freed who helped to turn African-American rhythm and blues into Caucasian rock and roll music. Freed originally called himself the Moondog after New York City street musician Moondog. Freed both adopted this name and used a recorded howl to give his early broadcasts a unique character. The Wolfman's adaptation of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Jack and add his own sound effects. The character was based in part on the manner and style of bluesman Howling Wolf. He created the nickname Wolfman Jack and attempted to mask his true identity to create public interest in his radio character.