San Francisco Bay Area Musician & Radio Host Greg Kihn Gone At 75

San Francisco Bay Area Icon Greg Kihn passed away at the age of 75.Photo byphoto by www.youtube.fandom.com website

The San Francisco Bay Area lost one of its own with the report that Greg Kihn passed away from complications due to Alzheimer’s at the age of 75. It's reported that he passed away on Tuesday, but wasn't widely shared by the family.

Even though he was born in Maryland, he made his name in Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He was also popular with his videos on MTV during the station's glory days.

He was one of the first artists to sign with the revolutionary Beserkley Records (a pun on the city of Berkeley, California). Greg was a mainstay in West Coast music.

Greg became a popular morning radio host and DJ for the South Bays classic rock station KFOX from 1996–2012. He has done countless charity work for overseas military and cancer organizations as well.

Hard work paid off.

To get where he was, he paid his dues through the San Francisco music scene starting in 1974. He toured wherever he could and built a great cult following, putting out an album a year.

His breakout hit made #15 on the Hot 100 list and was "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)," from his album Rockihnroll. Kihn loved to use his name on the albums he created. Along with Rockihnroll, he made Kihntinued (1982), Kihnspiracy (1983), Kihntageous (1984), and Citizen Kihn (1985).

His biggest hit was “Jeopardy” (1983), which was listed as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. The subsequent video that was linked to the song became a huge hit and fan favorite on MTV. Greg was a huge horror fan and wrote four horror books.

Weird Al Yankovic asked Greg if he could do a parody song from Jeopardy. Some artists were not that fond of their songs being parodied but Greg loved the idea. He told Al that he could use the song on one condition; that Al allow him to be in it. In the song “I Lost on Jeopardy,” the video ends with Yankovic being tossed into a convertible with none other than Greg Kihn driving the car.

Kihn was known for his work ethic, and he always toured and tried to put out an album once a year. He toured with Journey, the Grateful Dead, and the Rolling Stones. In 1985, Kihn had another hit with the top 30 song "Lucky,” which was made into a sequel to his Jeopardy music video and is a cult classic even today.

Greg became a popular morning radio host and DJ for The South Bays classic rock station KFOX from 1996–2012. He has done countless charity work for military men overseas and for cancer organizations, including the fight against lymphoma.

His music was fun and easygoing, with a total Northern California vibe that made you know you were going to have a good time. Greg toured as long as he could, and the renéssance man is being remembered fondly on social media by artists and fans alike.