Dick Thyne Memorial Page

Dick Thyne was our drummer in the late 90s, he was also our friend.
Dick died in a car accident on February 11 2005, and this is the page we put together for him.
Comments Page where those who knew Dick can leave their thoughts
It turns out that our webpage is the only place for people to leave messages about Dick, so we're going to leave these pages up forever.

Radio host Thyne killed as car hits tree

Saturday, February 12, 2005
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

KRSH radio's "One World" program will go on as usual Sunday, but without the voice of host Dick Thyne, who was killed early Friday in a single-car accident.

The 59-year-old disc jockey, a Sebastopol resident and long-time Sonoma County radio personality, died sometime before 4 a.m., when a passer-by spotted his wrecked 1997 Saab sedan on Westside Road northwest of Windsor, the CHP said.

Thyne's car had spun off the road and into a tree east of Wohler Road, the CHP said. The car was heavily damaged on its driver's side, they said.

Authorities are investigating whether alcohol may have been a factor in the crash after finding an open container in the car, CHP Officer Christine Jacobs said.

Colleagues at Thyne's Santa Rosa radio station described him as a slightly rebellious, free-spirited character who was always upbeat. He loved supporting the local scene, attending as many shows as he could.

"He was one of our most colorful DJs, and the one thing that he really added to the radio station was his passion for music from other cultures," Assistant General Manager and Operations Manager Dean Kattari said. "He's just leaving a huge hole, unfortunately."

Born and raised in Boston, Thyne hit the road as drummer for a rock 'n' roll band and became interested in working in radio after doing interviews around the country, according to his station biography.

He started his radio career in Boston, and later worked in Detroit.

Thyne also worked on-the-air for now-defunct KRVE radio in Sonoma County from 1979 to 1985.

He'd worked in Oregon recently, returning to the area and starting at KRSH about 2½ years ago, Kattari said.

Colleagues learned of his death Friday afternoon, General Manager Debbie Morton said.

"It's just awful," she said. "We've all been reeling from it all day."

Employees set up a sort of shrine in the station office, lighting candles and assembling photos of Thyne, articles and other items.

Kattari said Thyne had an ex-wife in Oregon but no children.

Kattari will host a tribute program from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, with "One World" to follow in its usual 5-7 p.m. time slot, hosted by morning disc jockey Doug Smith, Morton said.

original article

Yes, Dick played drums with Slaphog during the late 90s. He was in rock bands since the 60's, and he almost was the drummer for the CARS.