Jerry Blavat, the legendary Philly DJ with a loyal fan base that he entertained for decades, has died.
Known as the Boss with the Hot Sauce and the Geator with the Heater, he was 82.
He passed away at 3:45 a.m. Friday at hospice at Jefferson-Methodist Hospital from the effects of myasthenia gravis and related health issues, according to a statement released by his family Friday. Blavat was recently suffering from medical issues related to a shoulder injury and had to cancel an upcoming show at the Kimmel Cultural Campus due to his health, according to his website.
“Jerry proudly said, ‘Life is precious, and I am happy. And when I am happy, I want the world to be happy,'” the statement from the Blavat family said. “So he lived life to the fullest and enjoyed sharing life with all of you.
“His love for Philadelphia only superseded his love of music. He was proud of this great city, and nothing made him prouder than the impact the music from Philadelphia made on the world.”
Blavat, the family said, “was born the day he got behind the microphone at Camden’s WCAM in 1960, regaling young, area audiences with his fast patter and his devotion to rhythm & blues and rock and roll.”
He began “his life in entertainment in 1953 as a lithe, on-air dancer on the original ‘Bandstand’ on WFIL-TV in and a valet for comedian Don Rickles. A decade later, his radio program was syndicated and broadcast in Camden, Atlantic City, Trenton, Pottstown, Wilmington, Allentown and elsewhere.
“This morning we’re sad to report the passing of Philadelphia radio icon and WXPN host Jerry ‘The Geator’ Blavat, a rock and roll pioneer who introduced listeners to their favorite bands and inspired them to dance, sing, and fall in love,” wrote John Vettese on WXPN, where Blavat’s show was produced.
“WXPN has confirmed the news with a family member. He was 82 years old, and had worked as a DJ in some capacity for 62 of those years, but as Blavat would be the first to tell you, the numbers don’t matter, because music keeps you young. ‘Keep on rocking,’ he’d say, ‘because you only rock once.'”
The South Philadelphia native was on stage as late as last year, performing throughout the Delaware Valley.
The icon, who popped up as a clue on a “Jeopardy!,’’ was beloved for his high energy weekend shows at Memories in Margate, a club he owned since 1972.
More:Fans wrote letters to DJ Jerry Blavat in 1962. 59 years later, he is opening them on air
For years, Blavat hosted “The Geator’s Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues Express’’ on WXPN 88.5 FM in Philadelphia. Blavat also spun records for his Geator Gold radio programs on WISL 1480 AM and other stations, populated his own YouTube channel, hosted Facebook chats and DJ’ed private parties.
Blavat was honored with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2003.
As late as Jan. 10, Blavat was communicating with his fans online, telling them why he had to postpone shows.
“To all of my loyal fans and friends who have been with me through all these years — you know that I have seldom ever missed an appearance, and many of you have been wondering why recently I’ve had to postpone or miss a few of the current ones, including our concert at the Kimmel Center on January 28,” he wrote.
He said doctors advised him to cut down his scheduled as he dealt with health issues.
He told fans he looked forward to resuming “our dance parties at Live! Casino in Philly in the near future, and you can still hear the best of both shows on the Geator Gold Radio Network, as well as all my other weekly broadcasts.”
Blavat expressed disappointment over canceling his Kimmel Center performance.
“As I’ve said many times, my life is about performing and making people happy, I want you to know that I am doing everything in my power to join you on the dance floor as soon as possible and see your wonderful smiling faces again,” he wrote on Facebook on Jan. 12.
In his live performances and on TV and radio during his extensive career, the Philly icon always summoned his “yon teens” to listen and considered himself not just their leader but one of them. He loved playing his “Golden Oldies” of the 1950s and 60s that followed the Big Band era and promoted many of the rock and roll singing groups and solo artists.
The Geator was a huge booster of the region and performed at not only many of its ballrooms and other large venues in Philly and South Jersey, but at smaller venues like the former club Aljo in Mount Ephraim.
“I’m in South Jersey every day,” Blavat would say, though he lived across the Delaware River in Center City Philadelphia.
Born Gerald Joseph Blavat, the entertainer became friends with many of the famous singers he promoted and met like Frankie Avalon, who was raised in South Philly, and Bobby Darin. Among his other close singing and movie star friends were the late Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
Blavat often brought some of them to major events like the Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia, where they would appear on with him and local TV newscasters televising the event.
He is survived by four daughters.
Chuck Darrow, a longtime reporter for the Courier-Post, Philadelphia Daily News and other publications, has covered the entertainment landscape from Philadelphia to Atlantic City for most of his career.
“Getting to know him and to spend time with him was truly one of the best parts of my career,” Darrow, a member of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, said. “He was unlike anyone else I ever met.
“But while those of us who knew him on a personal level are hurting today, the saddest part is that Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley have had a wonderful and singular piece ripped from the region’s cultural fabric,” Darrow continued. “It won’t be replaced because it’s impossible to replace. How sad it must be to have grown up in a place that didn’t have The Geator as part of that fabric.”
Collingswood, New Jersey, native Ben Vaughn is a WXPN radio show host (“The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”), record producer, podcaster and frontman for the Ben Vaughn Quintet and Combo.
In 2021, Blavat used his radio show to showcase the “reveal” of lost fan mail that had been sent to Blavat from his “yon teenage” fans in 1962 at the height of his WCAM radio show’s popularity when it was broadcast inside Camden City Hall.
At the time of the tribute broadcast, Vaughn expressed his deep affection and gratitude to Blavat, a close friend and mentor.
“I grew up with him, I was obsessed with him,’’ Vaughn recalled at the time. “I discovered him when I was 10 years old and listened to him every night … By the time I was 12, I went to his dances. I was dancing before I was playing music!
“I didn’t know he was playing oldies because he never said they were oldies … And I listened to him every night. I thought these were all new, vital and relevant. He was playing this music because he loved it and he didn’t care what year it came out.’’
Opening the old fan mail added to his perspective of why Blavat has remained such a local legend.
“It deepened my understanding of what his gift is, deepened my appreciation of him,’’ Vaughn reflected. “I didn’t think I could be a bigger Geator fan and I am a bigger Geator fan having gone through this with him.”
As the news of Blavat’s passing spread across the Delaware Valley, Vaughn posted on his Facebook page a black-and-white image of Blavat in his prime, microphone in hand, a big grin on his face.
Vaughn’s caption: “There are no words.”
“Jerry wished for a big celebration of life,” his family said in their statement. “A big one is planned, and all are welcome.”
Fans and friends are invited to a viewing at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul at 1723 Race St., Philadelphia, at 9 a.m. on Jan. 28. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.