Richard Hake, host of WNYC's Morning Edition, dead at 51

Yes, he was gay and out. Why on earth did he die? He was on Friday morning. Heart attack from Covid? Drug overdose? Trick gone wrong?

RIP.

Bring back Soterios Johnson!

Could be one of those sudden strokes or heart attacks from Covid.

He's trending nationally on Twitter. He was really beloved.

His family says he “died of natural causes.” Sorry, but no way.

Suicide?

Yeah, you don't die of natural causes at 51.

Is dying of coronavirus a "natural cause"? It's not like a gunshot or overdose.

He didn’t have Covid though, he would have been completely asymptomatic, and then dead? Nah.

A heart attack is considered "natural causes".

Asymptomatic and then dead is what they're saying, R9. They're saying in younger age groups the virus is (sometimes) causing clotting resulting in massive strokes a few days later.

To clarify - they're saying this about the virus, not about Hake's case in particular.

Nancy McKeon also refused to admit her gay dead brother had AIDS and the coronavirus too boot.

From yesterday: Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying of strokes

That’s a minuscule amount of cases. He didn’t die of asymptomatic Covid stroke.

Did he decide to start the weekend early with some meth? I mean, at 51 years of age, street drugs can just kill you like that. A friend of mine who was not a drug user at all decided to dabble in it and after only a few months of off and on use keeled over dead at home in his early 50s.

[quote] He's trending nationally on Twitter.

So this was a good career move for him.

I'm guessing a heart attack or stroke. My cousin died at 47 of a heart attack and as far as we know the only health issue he had was slightly elevated blood pressure.

One of my best friends dropped dead of a heart attack at 50, no previous symptoms. Was feeling fine, stayed up late to watch some movies on the sofa, partner found him dead on the floor the next day. It does happen to people in their 40's and 50's just not as common, but not rare. Didnt Kim Jong douchebag just drop dead at 36?

I thought about making a Chris Burrous joke but decided it was in poor taste.

Are you new here?

If his family is saying natural causes, he could’ve had cancer that he never revealed or a different medical condition that he didn’t feel the need to tell the world.

My father dropped dead at the age of 47 from brain aneurysm which was only post mortem discovered to be congenital (deformed blood vessel)

It’s not as interesting when a gay news anchor dies with out a fist up their ass

That does seem to be the high water mark.

R13- Was Philip McKeon gay? Did he die of AIDS?

No, and no, r26.

I THINK he was being sarcastic.

If not, he’s an idiot.

Shocked! I assume this is COVID related.

So you think he was asymptomatic, went home and dropped dead overnight and, instead of demanding an autopsy and further investigation, his family announces he died of natural causes?

Never change, DL.

"Natural causes" is not a medical diagnosis. It isn't even allowed on death certificates anymore. You have to die of 'something'---even if it's just that your heart stopped beating-- that still has an official diagnosis (cardiac arrest).

Yes, but the family is not required to announce it to people.

I’m certain his death certificate doesn’t say that, but it evidently wasn’t an “unusual” death to the family, who would know.

R21, that was kinda the joke I was going for. I know very little is considered bad taste around here.

Pretty much anything other than an accident, murder, or suicide is a natural cause. Any disease is a natural cause.

Those lips suggest he was a DL’er.

Natural causes means he choked on a bone

[quote] Goli Sheikholeslami, the president and CEO of New York Public Radio, announced Hake’s death in a memo to staff on Saturday. She said the cause has not been determined. She said a tribute is being planned.

Cause has not been determined

Cause the cause ain’t none of ya bidness.

No mention of a husband either OP.

Wow! I loved listening to him every morning

Really, r39? Very interesting. Was he hung? Did you guys...

Oh, you meant on the radio.

Never mind.

R40, are you here all week?

Young and otherwise healthy people have dropped dead from sudden cardiac arrest later found to be caused by Lyme carditis, inflammation of the heart from latent, asymptomatic Lyme disease infection.

[quote]Young and otherwise healthy people have dropped dead from sudden cardiac arrest

Period.

Not everything is a medical mystery.

When people "drop dead" unexpectedly like this, it's heart-related more often than not. Either that, or a stroke or aneurysm of some sort. He was 51—having a heart attack is not totally out of the question at that age. As others have noted, people have them much younger than that. Many people also have congenital heart defects that go undiagnosed and end up being fatal due to lack of medical intervention. John Ritter died that way—he had an aortic aneurysm that he didn't know about. I had an aortic aneurysm myself which was caused by a congenital valve defect; I was lucky that doctors noticed my heart murmur when I was a bab and I was able to be monitored throughout my life until they eventually had to repair it.

*baby

That was a surprise. What a shame.

I know two men under 50 who dropped dead of a heart attack. Both had young families and were not overweight, were in great shape, etc. one had used steroids in his 20s, so that wasn’t a mystery. The other one I didn’t know well enough to say what his substance habits were.

R5, “natural causes” simply means he didn’t die as the result of an accident or foul play. It does not mean “died of old age” or that anyone thinks dying at 51 is normal. Calm down.

Unexpected or sudden usually means OD or suicide. I’m always sorry to hear those words. His poor family. He was one of the few voices on NPR I really enjoyed.

No, unexpected or sudden means just that: unexpected or sudden.

And that hasn’t been used to describe his case.

It may not have been either to the family.

In New York City copies of Death Certificates do not show cause. This began after men returning from WWII died of syphillis. It was considered an embarrassment to the family.

Not wholly true, r50.

The immediate family and some others can get the cause of death certificate.

An aneurysm can be a very quick death.

Do you always pull hints out of your ass R13?

I grew up listening to his voice on WNYC, his death is a shock.

Was he at Yorkville Endoscopy at the time?

One of his colleagues said he’d rent a house out in Fire Island every summer with 20 friends. Wow. I wonder if there were orgies there.

The brother of one of my coworkers dropped dead in the bathroom at his job at age 30. He was a newlywed and had recently had a physical and was thought to have been in perfect health. It took months for some reason but the coroner eventually determined that he had an undiagnosed congenital electrical problem and his heart just stopped suddenly. The doctors said a defibrillator would have saved his life had he been found and shocked in time and so since then the family has been raising money to distribute defibs.

In a WNYC "Radio Obituary" it was mentioned that he was gay and a practicing Catholic. Also a good friend of Harvey Fierstein.

[quote] it was mentioned that he was gay and a practicing Catholic

Oh? One is allowed to be both?

Hmm. It seems that he was suffering from gayface. Ultimately it proved fatal.

Yes, he was gay. A radio memorial mentioned his love of Fire Island. WNYC has been playing bit of his favorite songs--Madonna, Donna Summer, Broadway, etc.

I loved him as a broadcaster.

Turns out WNYC's past broadcaster Soterious Johnson is also gay

Any news yet about what exactly he died of? Dying at 51 is terrible

Still, no word on how he died? That's unusual.

[quote]One of his colleagues said he’d rent a house out in Fire Island every summer with 20 friends. Wow. I wonder if there were orgies there.

Maybe he led a very devoted book club.

There are no houses in the Pines that big. Stupid.

My 46-year-old grandfather suddenly sat up in bed, he fell back and he was dead. My Dad (aged 22 at the time) said the family was going to wake up the next morning and go on vacation. The trunk of the car was already packed. It was a heart attack. Dad still dreads the day before he goes on vacation.

Grandfather at 46? Maybe the food at the trailer park clogged his arteries.

[quote]One of his colleagues said he’d rent a house out in Fire Island every summer with 20 friends.

[quote]There are no houses in the Pines that big. Stupid.

Going in with 20 people on a 3-month rental doesn't mean everyone is there at the same time. Moron.

Given how NY is currently flooded with dead bodies and morgues are overflowing and keeping bodies outside in barely refrigerated trucks, it’s hardly unusual they don’t have a cause of death for him yet R63.

And even if they do, it’s not necessarily going to be public. That’s up to the family.

There may not even be an autopsy if his physician signs off on his death.

Who had him?

[Quote] Who had him?

Me