RIP: Stephen Capen

Stephen Capen, who piloted some of the funniest morning shows ever heard in these parts, died Monday night (Sept. 12) after fighting lung cancer for two years. He was 59 years old.

"Cape" was best known in the Bay Area as morning host at KSAN and KFOG, but his voice was also heard on numerous other stations locally, in one capacity or another, including KFRC, KSFX/KGO-FM, KMEL, KRQR, KDBK (Double 99), KTID (San Rafael), KUSF and KVON/KVYN (Napa).

He began his career at WCSB/Boston — the campus station at the Cambridge School — in 1964. From there, he made stops at Caribou, Me.; Glens Falls, N.Y.; Worcester and Springfield, Mass.; Hartford, Conn.; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Windsor, Ont.; San Diego; back to Hartford; then Miami; Boston, once again; and New York, where he worked at WPIX and WCBS-FM. From there, it was on to KSAN, the legendary "Jive 95," followed by a news anchor gig at KFRC. He later returned to New York, working briefly at WXRK (K-Rock) as the afternoon man shortly after Howard Stern arrived at the station.

"The Grim Reaper decided he wanted to open talks with me, and chose a lung tumor to convince," Capen is quoted as having said, according to the Jive95.com website. He had recently returned to his New England roots, taking up residence in Scituate, Mass. His wife, Susan Wu, and four children were at his bedside when he passed away.

According to former Jive 95er Hank Rosenfeld, Capen's ashes will be scattered at sea near Scituate Harbor by his family.

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Stephen Capen audio at Jive95.com

Photo courtesy of Jive95.com.