Legendary DJ Jerry Blavat remembered in funeral Mass
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Boss with the Hot Sauce is with the Big Boss now.
Legendary Philadelphia-area DJ Jerry Blavat was being remembered Saturday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on 18th Street between Race and Vine Streets.
Blavat died last week at age 82, his family confirmed.
The service was streamed live and is now available to watch on demand.
Singer Dionne Warwick gave Blavat's eulogy. The late DJ was a friend from the beginning of her iconic career.
"He was just too wonderful to me," she said. "I know he loved me as much as I loved him. He's up there dancing, yeah I know he is, and you do too. He's up there making people laugh and feel good."
Outside the cathedral Saturday, a digital screen showed pictures from Blavat's life as music played.
Nicknamed "The Geator with the Heater," Blavat was credited with giving multiple acts their big break, including the Four Seasons and the Isley Brothers, according to the Kimmel Center. He had friends among the music industry stars including Dionne Warwick. He appeared on TV with Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown and many other stars.
He hosted live dances and pioneered the "oldies" format on the radio, and got many acts their big break, As late as this fall, Blavat was still hosting dance events, playing "oldies but goodies."
Blavat was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame in 1993. A plaque in his honor sits at Broad and Locust Streets.
After news of his passing, flowers sat in front of Memories in Margate, the Jersey Shore club that Blavat owned since 1972.