Fans and friends remember late Philadelphia DJ Jerry Blavat
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Legendary Philadelphia DJ Jerry Blavat has died at age 82, his family confirmed Friday. He is remembered by friends as an inspiration.
"He would say to me often, 'Annie, don't be an option. Never be an option,'" Ann Catania, Blavat's friend, said. "He was just warm."
Catania was friends with Jerry Blavat for nearly 50 years. Oftentimes, after shows at the Kimmel Center, they would go to the Ritz Carlton in Center City and always sat at the same table behind the bar.
"Jerry was someone that everybody loved," Catania said. "But he loved us. He loved us."
Blavat shared that love with fans for decades. One of them is photographer HughE Dillon.
"He knew that music really touched people's hearts and was bringing them joy," Dillon said. "It was his gift and he wanted to share it."
Blavat was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame in 1993. A plaque in his honor sits at Broad and Locust Streets.
Flowers sit in front of Memories in Margate, the Jersey Shore club that Blavat owned since 1972.
"I just couldn't believe it. I was broken-hearted," Barbara Deeley, a fan, said. "You can't keep dancing without him."
Lucky for fans, Blavat shared what he knew with others, helping to sculpt many people's careers - including radio DJ Bob Pantano's. Blavat gave him his start in the 1970s.
"I'm a protege and all I want to do is keep the music going for the people because, as he always said, 'keep on rocking because you only rock once,'" Pantano said.
Blavat is known for more than being a showman. To friends like Larry Magid, he was just a good man.
"He's the type of person who shows you how you can live your dreams, how you can be who you want to be and it's always good to be good to people along the way," Magid said.
A celebration honoring Blavat's life will be held on Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.