David "Kidd" Kraddick Dead at 53: Radio Host Dies at Charity Event

David "Kidd" Kraddick died "doing what he loved" when he passed away suddenly at a charity golf event in New Orleans on Saturday, July 27, his publicist Ladd Biro told The Associated Press. Kraddick, who hosted popular radio show "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning," was helping to raise funds for his Kidd's Kids charity, Biro said. No further details on the death have been released.

Kraddick was 53, and would have turned 54 on Aug. 22.

"All of us with YEA Networks and the 'Kidd Kraddick in the Morning' crew are heartbroken over the loss of our dear friend and leader," the network statement said. "Kidd devoted his life to making people smile every morning, and for 21 years his foundation has been dedicated to bringing joy to thousands of chronically and terminally ill children."

"He died doing what he loved, and his final day was spent selflessly focused on those special children that meant the world to him," it continued.

Kraddick's show is broadcast on more than 75 Top 40 and Hot AC radio stations, according to the AP. The Texas-based radio host got his start in Dallas on the late-night circuit in 1984 before transitioning to the morning rounds in the early 1990s.

Celebrities and members in the industry immediately reacted online to Kraddick's sudden death, mourning the loss of their friend.

"The sad sad news about Kidd Kraddick is shocking," Joe Jonas tweeted. "He will be missed greatly."

Jonas and his brothers were scheduled to be the headlining act for the first-ever Kidd's Kids charity concert in Dallas in August.

"Oh Man, I just heard Kidd Kraddick died!" Kelly Clarkson tweeted. "He's my childhood dj. What a sad day. His poor family. He was always nice 2 me from the beginning."

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"Kidd was a good friend of mine. I will miss him terribly," Lee Leipsner, SVP of promotions at Columbia Records, told Billboard magazine. "I just took him to One Direction last Monday. Such a tremendous loss. He was a giant and so many artists benefited from his love and passion for music."

Kraddick's cause of death will be released "at the appropriate time," according to the network statement. He is survived by his ex-wife and daughter.

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