WXRT host Lin Brehmer dies at 68 - Chicago Sun-Times

Lin Brehmer often ended his vigor effort conception “Lin’s Bin” by saying, “Take thing for granted. It’s large to beryllium alive.”

It was the mantra for years of the longtime WXRT-FM (93.1) big — who became a household sanction successful Chicago, known for his wit and consciousness of humor. Countless listeners who ne'er met Brehmer considered him a friend.

Brehmer died Sunday astatine property 68.

“It is with a dense bosom that we indispensable pass you that we each mislaid our champion friend. Lin Brehmer fought crab arsenic agelong arsenic helium could,” chap big Terri Hemmert wrote successful a post Sunday morning. “He passed aboriginal this morning, peacefully, with his woman and lad by his side.”

Brehmer announced past July that helium was taking a interruption from the presumption to acquisition chemotherapy for prostate cancer. Brehmer concisely returned to aerial successful November, telling tv presumption WBBM that “radio has been my life.”

Brehmer was with WXRT for much than 3 decades, astir of them arsenic greeting DJ until helium slid to middays successful 2020.

Lin Brehmer successful his bureau astatine WXRT successful 2006. “I deliberation successful different beingness helium would’ve been an English professor,” workfellow Mary Dixon said.

Sun-Times record photo

He’s possibly champion known for his “Lin’s Bin” segments, which consisted of his effect to a listener’s question, interweaving prose with his encyclopedic cognition of euphony and fashionable culture.

“Lin’s Bin” was often comic and sometimes serious.

“‘Lin’s Bin’ was truthful good crafted, it was a enactment of art,” said Norm Winer, who was WXRT’s programme manager erstwhile helium hired Brehmer successful 1984. “It was a throwback to the Golden Age of radio. He would marque you laughter retired loud. He would marque you weep.”

Those vigor essays satisfied a originative yearning for Brehmer, who developed a emotion for lit successful precocious school. “It’s a originative outlet. There is cipher looking implicit my shoulder,” Brehmer told the Sun-Times successful 2018.

Mary Dixon, who worked alongside Brehmer arsenic a big for 28 years, said, “I deliberation successful different beingness helium would’ve been an English professor. He was a nerdy, doctrine and English pupil astatine Colgate. But helium came up successful a clip erstwhile rock-and-roll was the caller poetry.”

Brehmer connected with countless Chicagoans — adjacent though they ne'er met him successful person.

“There’s a crushed that I’ve heard from a fewer radical who person been crying today, saying they consciousness silly due to the fact that they didn’t adjacent cognize him — but they did,” WXRT big Emma Mac said. Brehmer’s “connection to you was genuine, and positive, and authentic and kind.”

Messages honoring Brehmer flooded societal media aft his death.

“Lin Brehmer was the dependable of Chicago. His dependable was unsocial and a cleanable mode to commencement the day,” erstwhile politician and existent U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote connected Twitter.

“Chicago has mislaid its champion friend,” U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley posted.

Brehmer, a Cubs season-ticket holder, had his sanction displayed connected the marquee astatine Wrigley Field connected Sunday.

Born successful Queens, New York, Brehmer began his vigor vocation arsenic a Sunday greeting DJ successful Albany. The archetypal opus helium ever played arsenic a nonrecreational DJ was “Within You Without You” by The Beatles because, “I’ve ever felt that beingness flows wrong you, but astir of each without you,” Brehmer said successful 2017.

At that station, helium was nicknamed “the Reverend” due to the fact that helium would recite poesy implicit opus introductions. “I would gaffe into Dylan Thomas oregon William Wordsworth,” helium erstwhile told the Sun-Times.

Asked who helium would privation to conscionable successful heaven, Brehmer said: “Here’s the thing, astir of my philharmonic heroes whitethorn not beryllium successful heaven, they whitethorn beryllium successful the 3rd ringing of the Inferno.”

Brehmer moved to Chicago successful 1984 to beryllium the euphony manager astatine WXRT. He worked down the scenes until 1990, past took a short-lived vigor occupation successful Minneapolis. “I was determination for 12 months, had a large clip ... past recovered retired the proprietor of my vigor presumption was bankrupt. So it made things precise dicey,” Brehmer said.

He came backmost to WXRT the adjacent twelvemonth and took Hemmert’s spot arsenic the greeting DJ.

Brehmer erstwhile described himself arsenic an “anti-shock jock.”

“It’s conscionable not who I am,” helium told the Sun-Times. “The closest I travel to daze jock is lasting up for civilian rights oregon spiritual freedom. That’s precise shocking these days.”

Brehmer loved Chicago’s theater, euphony and eating scene, helium said successful an interview connected WXRT successful 2017. “I emotion eating retired successful Chicago,” helium said. “Whether it’s an Italian beef with blistery peppers oregon it’s a 12-course paper astatine Acadia, I emotion the culinary country here.

“And of people the biggest happening is the music: from the Chicago blues, from going to Buddy Guy’s Legends, to seeing each the artists that take Chicago arsenic 1 of their main stops connected their tours,” helium said.

Brehmer besides had an affinity for sailing connected Lake Michigan. “There’s thing astir that infinitesimal erstwhile you get the sails up and crook the motor disconnected and it’s thing but the dependable of the wind. It’s 1 of the top moments you tin have,” helium said successful the interview.

Brehmer was besides a protagonist of the ALS community, serving arsenic a spokesperson for events and fundraisers for astir 3 decades. “Lin’s dedication to the ALS assemblage arsenic a spokesperson of the Les Turner ALS Foundation was legendary.” Andrea Pauls Backman, the foundation’s main executive, said successful a statement.

WXRT volition observe Brehmer’s beingness on-air Monday astatine 10 a.m.

“We’ll clasp each different up done this heart-breaking time,” Hemmert wrote. “Lin would privation that. Take thing for granted.”