Tom Magliozzi Dead @ 77

[Perknose]

Tom Magliozzi, one half of the wisecracking Car Talk duo known as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers," has died after complications from Alzheimer's Disease. He was 77.

That's Tom on the left:

"The Magliozzi brothers grew up in a tough neighborhood of East Cambridge, in a close-knit Italian family. Tom was 12 years older, the beloved older brother to Ray. They liked to act like they were just a couple of regular guys who happened to be mechanics, but both of them graduated from MIT.

"After getting out of college, Tom went to work as an engineer.

One day, he was on his way to work when he had a near-fatal accident with a tractor-trailer. He pulled off the road and decided to do something different with his life.

"'I quit my job,' he [told graduates at a commencement speech at his] alma mater in 1999. 'I became a bum. I spent two years sitting in Harvard Square drinking coffee. I invented the concept of the do-it-yourself auto repair shop, and I met my lovely wife.'"

Those guys were as good as it gets. :thumbsup:

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

goddammit. just goddammit. No idea that Tom was battling Alzheimer's.

Don't drive like my brother

 

[surfsatwerk]

Don't drive like my brother

And don't drive like my brother!

he will be missed.

 

[lxskllr]

My daughter loved that show. I suspected one or both had health problems when they went into retirement. I'm really sorry to hear Tom's gone. One of the best radio shows ever aired.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

 

[Perknose]

Executive producer Doug Berman said in 2012, "The guys are culturally right up there with Mark Twain and the Marx Brothers. They will stand the test of time. People will still be enjoying them years from now. They're that good."[2]

:thumbsup:

 

[Scarpozzi]

Very sad, indeed!

 

[Carson Dyle]

Tom Magliozzi who, along with his brother Ray, hosted NPR’s hit comedy show Car Talk for the last 37 years, died Monday morning from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Turns out he wasn’t kidding,” said Ray. “He really couldn’t remember last week’s puzzler.”

That's fantastic. A sense of humor can get you through just about anything. So many lessons those guys taught people over the years, and most of them had nothing to do with cars.

RIP Tom.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Rest in peace.

 

[ghost recon88]

I grew up listening to these guys on Saturday morning while driving around with my dad in his old Chevy S10, he will be missed

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Damn.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I grew up listening to these guys on Saturday morning while driving around with my dad in his old Chevy S10, he will be missed

My Step-Dad would listen to them every chance he got. I have many fond memories of that. :'(

 

[Capt Caveman]

RIP

 

[mizzou]

RIP!! One of my favorite parts of public radio...I remember listening to them forever

 

[cyclohexane]

RIP

 

[DesiPower]

RIP, they were hilarious, will be missed

 

[MongGrel]

More gone, I used to listen to them all the time and haven't in awhile.



RIP

 

[D1gger]

Best NPR show ever! Sad news indeed.

 

[thomsbrain]

Been listening since I was a little kid.

 

[boomerang]

That's too bad. I had a feeling that something was up when they quit doing the radio program but I had no idea what. My wife and I always seemed to be in the car on Saturday mornings when the show was broadcast in our area. She loved it and if a woman can enjoy a show based around the mechanics of cars you know these two brothers had a lot of reach.

 

[TwiceOver]

:rose:

I really enjoy listening to their show. I don't even know anything about cars, then again, I don't think they do either.

 

[CZroe]

Loved their show. Just like Top Gear, you don't have to be an enthusiast or a gearhead to be entertained!

 

[Triumph]

loved listening to them since about 1990. was a fairly regular saturday activity for me, to have them on whenever i was working or in the car. you will be sorely missed, Tom.

 

[bradley]

I started listening to them in the early nineties. Their warmth and wit was an invaluable part of my childhood. RIP.

 

[blinblue]

I am glad I was able to call in and be on the air during their last couple of seasons. So many fond memories of their show, it would always be on the when my dad would be working around the house on Saturdays growing up.
Good thing there are so many episodes, I've probably only heard less than 1/3 of them. They never fail to put a smile on my face. They can tell the same joke a thousand times and still make it funny