Remembering Jed the Fish

Jed The Fish: A Voice That Defined Los Angeles Radio

April 14, 2025
By Aircheck Radio

We are deeply saddened to share the news that legendary Los Angeles radio personality Jed The Fish—born Edwin Jed Gould III—passed away this morning at the age of 69, following a brief battle with small-cell lung cancer.

For generations of listeners in Southern California, Jed The Fish was more than a DJ—he was a defining voice of KROQ-FM and a pioneer of alternative radio in America.

Jed first cracked the mic at KROQ in 1978, and over the next three decades, he helped shape the station into the cultural force it became. His unmistakable delivery—dry, sharp, and unpredictable—was the perfect match for the emerging new wave and alternative sound of the late 1970s and early ’80s. Long before bands like Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Nine Inch Nails became household names, Jed was spinning their tracks on the afternoon drive, giving artists a platform that simply didn’t exist anywhere else on American radio.

His tenure at KROQ spanned more than 34 years, a rare feat in any major market, and a testament to his ability to evolve with the music while staying true to his voice. He remained a fixture of the Los Angeles airwaves into the 2000s, and in later years, continued hosting and curating on KROQ’s HD2 channel, “Roq of the 80s.” He also hosted the nationally syndicated countdown show Out of Order from 1994 through 2013, expanding his reach to a nationwide audience.

But for those of us who collect and archive radio—not for nostalgia, but for history—Jed The Fish was always essential. His boards were clean. His segues were sharp. He had that rare ability to be both a character and a professional, a personality and a format-junkie. Aircheck collectors know: a clean Jed The Fish tape is gold.

We first learned of Jed’s passing from Alison Martino, creator of Vintage Los Angeles, who shared the news early this morning on Facebook. In her post, she captured what so many are feeling today: heartbreak for the loss of an irreplaceable voice and deep appreciation for the imprint he left on our airwaves.

At Aircheck Radio, we are proud to preserve and share unscoped airchecks like Jed’s—not as novelties, but as living history. His voice, his timing, his presence behind the mic—these are sounds that shaped lives, influenced careers, and helped define an era in American radio.

Our mission has always been to keep those sounds alive. And today, we do that with a little more purpose, and a little more reverence, for one of the best who ever did it.

Rest easy, Jed.
And thank you—for everything.

—The Aircheck Radio Team