Dori Monson, the host of KIRO-FM’s noon to 3:00 p.m. slot for nearly three decades, died on 31st December 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Monson was a passionate conservative who was never afraid to take on politicians. His last tweet criticized Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation:
“Buttigieg is a climate hypocrite. And both Dems and GOP are blaming him for airline and supply chain messes. Can someone name one attribute that made him qualified to be Transportation Sec?”
Monson leaves behind his wife, three daughters, and a dog.
Dori Monson died two days after suffering a heart attack
KIRO News radio host John Curley told Yahoo News that Monson suffered from heart health issues, leading to his heart attack in late December 2022. Heart complications likely caused his death on New Year’s Eve, 2022.
“Of course, the next reaction is that you feel for his family,” Curley said. “And then his listeners. And then you thank god that he wasn’t incapacitated where all of a sudden Dori wasn’t able to function as Dori.”
Monson was a combative and opinionated character who treated his opponents with kindness and respect. Consequently, condolences have flooded in from all sides of the political sphere. Feliks Banel, a host and Chief History Officer at KIRO, tweeted:
“Dori Monson and I were political opposites, but we always agreed on how much we loved local media legends JP Patches, Stan Boreson & Dave Niehaus. In his best moments, Dori understood how radio can work like community glue – connecting people of different views & beliefs. RIP.”
A post by KIRO News Radio asks people to donate to FareStart, Fellowship of Christian Athletes/ Seattle Chapter, and Washington State Police Canine Association as a tribute to Dori Monson.