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       CBC radio personality Rick Cluff dead at 74
        
 (HTM) Source
        
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       Rick Cluff, one of British Columbia's most loved radio personalities,
       has died.
        
       Cluff passed away following a short battle with cancer days after
       marking his 74th birthday.
        
       A consummate broadcaster, Cluff brought his friendly voice and big
       personality to CBC Vancouver in 1997 and helped turn _The Early
       Edition_ into the No. 1-rated morning show in the competitive Metro
       Vancouver radio market.
        
       Cluff admitted he was scared on his first day on the job in Vancouver,
       after making the move from Toronto where he had spent two decades with
       CBC radio sports.
        
       But his ability to connect with people, genuine curiosity and sharp
       journalistic instincts helped endear him to a growing legion of
       listeners, which peaked at over a quarter million per day in his
       20-year run as host.
        
       In a 2007 profile marking his first decade at CBC Vancouver, Cluff
       confessed he never spent much time contemplating the size of his
       audience or place at the top of the radio rankings.
        
       "If I thought about that it would drive me crazy," he said. "So it's
       just the one person [I imagine] I'm speaking to, whether it's a he or
       she in their car or their kitchen. That's the relationship I develop
       with them."
        
       The Early Edition regulars during the Cluff years, from left to right:
       Fred Lee, Amy Bell, Rick Cluff and Cecilia Walters. (Fred Lee)
        
       Shiral Tobin, a former producer of _The Early Edition_ , remembers
       Cluff as a good person and gentleman to the core.
        
       "He truly got joy from elevating and coaching others to find their
       path to success as journalists," said Tobin, now CBC Vancouver's
       journalism and programming director.
        
       "He mentored many people who came through the program, often quietly
       and privately, yet always in a meaningful and genuine way."
        
        _ **LISTEN:**_ _**Rick Cluff interviews Terry Fox on Day 9 of the
       Marathon of Hope in 1980**_
        
       Cluff counted covering the announcement of the International Olympic
       Committee awarding Vancouver and Whistler the 2010 Winter Games and
       broadcasting as the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks unfolded as two
       unforgettable moments in his radio career.
        
       "[9/11] happened at about 10 to six our time. We were just about to go
       on the air," said Cluff in 2007.
        
       "I remember telling people that if you're listening, get up and turn
       on your television because what's going on in New York now is
       certainly going to affect the way we live and life as we know it."
        
       Cluff and _The Early Edition_ team earned a number of awards,
       including for their coverage of the Robert Dziekanski tasering at
       Vancouver International Airport, B.C. education strife, and protests
       over gentrification.
        
       Rick Cluff leaves behind wife Cecilia, daughter Mallory, son James and
       five grandchildren. (submitted by Cluff family)
        
       His sports broadcasting career also drew honours. In 1999, Cluff was
       inducted into the Football Reporters of Canada section of the Canadian
       Football Hall of Fame. As a former player, football — and especially
       the CFL — held a special place in his heart.
        
       Besides broadcasting from Grey Cups, Super Bowls and Stanley Cups,
       "Cluffer," as his sports family called him, also travelled the world
       to cover Canadian teams and athletes at eight Olympic Games, five
       Commonwealth Games and too-many-to-mention world cups and world
       championships.
        
       Following a 41-year career at CBC, Cluff retired in 2017 after
       undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery.
        
       In a story marking the occasion, Vancouver Magazine writer Matt
       O'Grady asked Cluff about joining the public broadcaster in 1976,
       against the advice of his father.
        
       The Early Edition crew, circa 2017. Back row from left: Lee Rosevere,
       Bridgette Watson, Jodie Martinson, Liam Britten, Drew Kerekes, Farrah
       Merali, Catherine Rolfsen, Theresa Duvall, Shiral Tobin, Margaret
       Gallagher and Steve Lus. Front row from left: Ross Bragg, Caroline
       Ewald, Amy Bell, Jeremy Allingham and Rick Cluff. (The Early
       Edition/CBC)
        
       "I talked to Peter Mansbridge about this recently," Cluff told
       O'Grady. "The opportunities we've had — we really did work during the
       golden age of broadcasting. I walked across Checkpoint Charlie, I
       stood in the DMZ in Korea, I was behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s.
       It really has been a remarkable career."
        
       Rick Cluff leaves behind his wife Cecilia, daughter Mallory, son James
       and five grandchildren.
        
        
        
        
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