Canadian radio broadcaster Arthur Black Died at 74

  Media

Arthur Black was born on 30 August 1943 and died on 21 February 2018.

He was a Canadian humorist and radio personality, best known as the longtime host, from 1983 to 2002, of Basic Black on CBC Radio which had a weekly audience of more than 600,000 listeners.

He also wrote a series of books and published a regular humour column syndicated to more than 40 Canadian newspapers.

Black’s broadcasting career with CBC Radio had started in Thunder Bay in 1972.

Black was a contributor to the regional weekenf program Fresh Air for several years until Basic Black began as a national variety program which first originated from Thunder Bay before relocating to Toronto a few years into its run.

Black was a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour.

He relocated to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia after retiring from broadcasting and remained there for the last years of his life.

He was diagnosed with Stage IV terminal pancreatic cancer on 2 January 2018 and blogged about what he called his “final journey”.

He died at 74 years old.