Published at 6:30 PM on November 3, 2008

By Althea Legaspi

Studs Terkel: 1912-2008

Legendary author and radio host Studs Terkel, 96, passed away Friday at his Northside home in Chicago. Although he was a transplant to the area, his name and legacy will forever be associated with the city he so loved and adopted as his own.

Terkel hailed from the days when radio shows were a primary source of entertainment. Through several decades he proved a radio staple, one of the greats, becoming the voice people turned to for honest and humorous interviews with famous and regular folks alike, interwoven with whatever music struck his fancy. Terkel extended his reach to both theater and television, starring in several stage plays and creating a popular TV show called Studs' Place.

In 1967, he embarked on a critically-acclaimed, best-selling writing career with Division Street: America, which detailed accounts of the Chicago community’s everyday people, from business people to the down-and-out. Among his many published works was 1985’s World War II book, The Good War, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize. Terkel was also the recipient of the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. His latest book, P.S.: Further Thoughts From a Lifetime of Listening, is scheduled for release this month.

Although Chicago considered him its son, Terkel became a respected figure worldwide. His keen sense of the human spirit, coupled with his great personality and never-ending interest in his subject matter-- no matter his or her walk of life-- made him an engaging interviewer. His trademark radio sign off was "Take it easy, but take it"-- and he did just that, taking life by the reigns and living it to the fullest. RIP, Studs Terkel. 

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