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PHILADELPHIA -- Jerry Blavat, the legendary disc jockey known arsenic "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Boss with the Hot Sauce" has died, Action News has learned. He was 82.
He passed distant astatine 3:45 a.m. Friday astatine hospice astatine Jefferson-Methodist Hospital from the effects of myasthenia gravis and related wellness issues.
He leaves down 4 daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and his longtime spouse Keely Stahl.
Blavat was precocious suffering from aesculapian issues related to a enarthrosis wounded and had to cancel an upcoming amusement astatine the Kimmel Cultural Campus owed to his health, according to his website.
Born successful South Philadelphia to a Jewish begetter and Italian mother, euphony ran done his veins from childhood. "The Geator" was wide known arsenic 1 of the aboriginal rock-and-roll DJs who revolutionized the assemblage and developed the "oldies" format.
Blavat appeared connected respective tv shows and films including "The Monkees," "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Baby, It's You" and "Cookie."
In 1953, helium debuted connected the archetypal Bandstand astatine the property of 13. Producers of the Channel 6 amusement successful Philly discovered their fashionable dancer was beneath the property limit, but fto him enactment to assistance prime records.
Years later, helium went connected to big "The Discophonic Scene," a creation amusement that featured immoderate of the biggest stars of the era.
Blavat's enthusiasm, endowment and earthy knack for knowing what would deed with teens led archetypal to a syndicated vigor show, past a TV amusement successful the 1960s.
For decades, helium entertained crowds with shows crossed the Philadelphia portion and spent his summers down astatine the enactment wherever helium owned the fashionable creation nine "Memories successful Margate."
It was a vocation that led to galore friendships with large entertainers similar Sammy Davis Jr., Don Rickles and adjacent Frank Sinatra.
"Everybody's been there. My ma cooked for (Frank) Sinatra there. She besides cooked for Sammy Davis, Jr. there. Chuck Berry appeared there," Blavat said of "Memories" during a 2022 interrogation with the New Jersey Stage.
With his famously adopted nicknames "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Boss with the Hot Sauce," helium hosted countless dances and helped interruption galore acts, including the Four Seasons and the Isley Brothers, besides boosting Philadelphia artists similar Bobby Rydell.
He appeared regularly successful the Italian American Parade successful Philadelphia and was a impermanent for galore years successful 6abc's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 1993, Blavat was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Hall of Fame. You tin find his sanction connected the Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts successful Center City.
Since 1998, helium appears successful a imperishable grounds successful the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; helium was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia's Hall of Fame successful 2002.
When asked astir his vocation arsenic a disc jockey and emergence to fame, Blavat told the New Jersey Stage, "So my beingness has been astir fantastic people. And if it ends tomorrow, I'll person nary regrets due to the fact that I made radical happy, and by making radical happy, it fulfilled my life."
Blavat ne'er wanted to halt sharing his emotion for euphony and Philadelphia.
No substance what, that bushed volition ever pulse passim this city's veins with the vibrancy and zest lone the "Boss with the Hot Sauce" could spread.
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This communicative has been updated to amusement that Jerry Blavat is portion of a imperishable grounds astatine the Rock and Roll Hall Fame, but was not an inductee.
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