Life is Too Short

I was looking up an old online friend of mine just a few minutes ago.  I downloaded Clear Channel's "iheartradio" application for my new iPod Touch and thought about how much I liked it but that I wished that it included more of their stations, such as Binghamton's Star 105.7, so that I could listen to my friend Kevin, who moved there about a year ago to host the afternoon drive program.

I can't claim to be best friends with Kevin;  we've only known each other online.  I can't remember exactly when or even how I met him.  It was probably around 1999 and we were both TV news nerds.  I remember being very jealous of him because he lived in New Jersey and so he got both the New York and the Philadelphia stations.  He sent me some videotapes of the Philly newscasts, including KYW, because he knew that I'd like to see what they looked like.  In 2000, I think, he offered to redesign my Channel 2 fan site and, in the process, taught me a lot about web and graphic design.  He was just one of those cool kids and I always wished that we lived closer and could have been friends in "real life."  As he went through college and then started working in radio, we didn't get to talk as much, but I remember thinking how cool it was that one of my friends got to be so successful.

That iPod application got me thinking about him and how it had been a few months since we last chatted.  I decided to look him up on his station's website but I couldn't find his name under the list of on-air hosts.

So then I Googled him.  His name, Kevin Collins, is kind of common so too many hits came up.  I added the word "radio" to the search to try to narrow it down.  The eighth hit scared me.  It was titled "Kevin Collins, Jr - R.I.P."  I clicked it and it took me to this message board post:

Kevin Collins, who spent time at WJLK and WCHR-FM, lost his battle 
with Cystic Fibrosis and left this life on Sunday, December 28th, 2008.
I believe Kevin was only 24 years old.  He was doing afternoons in
Binghamton at Star 105.7.

I couldn't believe it.  A bunch of people expressed their grief and talked about how great of a person Kevin was.  Someone posted this link to one of his former stations in New Jersey, where he grew up, which updated his old bio page with this message:

The Point is mourning the loss of Kevin Collins, who lost his fight with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 24.

Kevin was a terrific person and a hard worker who pitched in wherever he could. His bright smile brought such joy to his friends and family and his enthusiasm was infectious no matter whatever task he was doing from sending prizes to listeners to being up at 2AM during the Lou & Liz Radiothon. He worked through his illness privately, surrounded by a strong circle of friends who offered support and love.

Kevin was the Point's Promotions Director in 2007 and also worked on the air on the Point and its sister Millennium radio stations for several years. He has also worked around the area doing traffic and also did some work for Dow Jones. 

The New York Daily News mentioned Kevin's passing last week:

Kevin Collins Jr., who worked as an engineer and producer on Jersey Shorestations like WMCX (88.9 FM), WCHR (105.7 FM) and WOBM (92.7 FM), died Dec. 28 at the age of 24. He had cystic fibrosis.

Here's Kevin's MySpace bio:

I'm a simple kid with simple goals. (I really am.) Sometimes I just like to take the really long way to get there. What can I say...I like to learn the hard way. There's not much to know. I'm a dork at heart and rockstar by day. (Not really.) I work in radio. It's got it's benefits, most of the time. :) I hate being in charge...so...that didn't last two long. My weakness? I love comfort food. Yum. Mac & Cheese! I would like to be content for long periods of time. You should know i'm not one to walk away from a challenge. Unless you want to fight me. Then, well then, I just run, and I warn you, I run really fast. I like crappy television shows and even worse music. No lie. Remember "SportsNight?" Yeah...nobody does. I liked it. I wanna move someplace nicer...but cheaper...and I want a puppy of my own. Yeah, so...that's me.

And this was what he wrote on his Star 105.7 show page:

The long and short of it...here we go! I'm a Jersey Shore kid. In a state where the most common question sometimes seems to be "What exit are you?" in reference to the Garden State Parkway...I'd be Exit 98. I moved to Binghamton early this year. (So far so good.)

The radio "career" began at WJLK in Monmouth/Ocean, NJ as an intern on the streets for nine months. Why so dedicated? Even I don't know. I did learn how to get coffee over and over again. Eventually I would wind up at WHTG/WBBO/, WWZY/WBHX/WKOE & WHTG-AM doing everything from promotions to Rock & Oldies. I'm a multi-talented fool!

Went back to WJLK/WADB & WCHR to be Promotions Director and pull the third shift from 12am-5:30am. If I've got to be up at that hour, it might as well be from the night before because I'm not a morning person...not at all. Starbucks helps. If you ever have to buy: go for the White Hot Chocolate. You will not be sorry.

Huge music fan, but that doesn't mean I have great taste in music. Want to travel more, but can't afford it. I love food, and to be honest, a bit too much. Marshmallows & Skittles are my favorite. (Did I mention it's more junk food?) Can be called a Seinfeld addict, and for some stupid reason love chick flicks...even if I don't get anything out of them. Enough for now? I think so. :-)

I don't really know what to say.  It's just a shock to find out that one of your friends unexpectedly died.  I knew that he had Cystic Fibrosis and that he sometimes had to spend a few nights in the hospital when he was younger because of it but I guess I didn't realize that it was still affecting him.  I probably should have known better.

Only 24 years on Earth... that's too short.

I'm going to miss you, Kevin.  You were a great friend and I wish we could've been friends in "real life."  I'm sorry that I didn't do a better job of staying in touch lately.  It's not at all an overstatement to say that you inspired my interest/hobby in graphic design and also helped keep me so interested in television news, which is where I'm working now.  I'm just glad that you're no longer suffering.

At Northeastern's Matthews Center

Sent from my Palm Centro smartphone.