Longtime radio host Art Bell, whose paranormal-themed show “Coast to Coast AM” was nationally syndicated, died at his Nevada home — on Friday the 13th. Bell was 72:
BREAKING: Longtime radio host Art Bell has died at his Pahrump home, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office saidhttps://t.co/qJSSPZxfDI pic.twitter.com/nGxCeHKrVN — Las Vegas RJ (@reviewjournal) April 14, 2018
During its peak in the 1990s, Bell’s show was broadcast on approximately 500 North American radio stations, airing from hometown of Pahrump, Nevada.
According to the Coast to Coast AM website, Bell became an FCC-licensed radio technician at age 13 and once set a Guinness World Record for broadcasting solo for 116 straight hours while working as a DJ at KSBK in Okinawa, Japan:
"Coast to Coast AM" radio host Art Bell, whose broadcasts dealt with conspiracies and the paranormal, died on Friday, April 13. He was 72.
The Nye County Sheriff's Office reported that Bell died at his home in Pahrump, Nevada.
An autopsy is scheduled for later this week to determine the cause of death, according to KSNV-TV, News 3, in Las Vegas.
At one time Bell had close to 10 million listeners before his sudden retirement. He did his shows about UFOs, conspiracies and cover-ups for over 15 years from his home in the Nevada desert. He came out of retirement several times and last appeared on the show in 2010, but was eventually replaced by George Noory.
Noory made an announcement about Bell's passing during his show at 2:20 a.m. EDT on Saturday.
Bell also had a show on SiriusXM in 2013 but that only lasted six weeks, according to Radio Link. Bell returned to radio in 2015 with a new show called "Midnight in the Desert," available online and on a few stations. He announced what would be his final retirement on Dec. 11, 2015, citing security concerns at his home.
He authored such books as "The Arts of Talk," "The Quickening" and "The Coming Global Superstorm."
Bell was the original owner of Pahrump based radio station KNYE-FM 95.1.
He is survived by his fourth wife, Airyn Ruiz Bell, and four children.
The originator, and former host of Coast to Coast AM , Art Bell died on Friday (April 13, 2018) at age 72. According to the Nye County (Nevada) Sheriff's Office Bell passed away at his home.
Bell last hosted an edition of Coast to Coast AM in 2010. More recently he was involved in the creation and production of the overnight talk show Midnight in the Desert on the Dark Matter Digital Network.
George Noory, the current host of Coast to Coast AM, made an announcement concerning Bell's death during his show at about 1:20am Central Time on Saturday, April 14, 2018.
Bell created the precursor to Coast to Coast AM at 720 KDWN-AM in Las Vegas in the late 1970s. Coast to Coast AM then became syndicated across the U.S. and Canada in the 1990s, eventually through Chancellor Media in the mid-90's before becoming a part of Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Communications in 2001.
Bell permanently left the weekday edition of Coast to Coast AM in 2002 and George Noory took over the weekday hosting duties for Coast to Coast AM on January 1, 2003.
Bell didn't make many media appearances outside of his talk show, but one Larry King on CNN appearance from 1999 has been preserved on YouTube. You can watch the video below.
The official cause of death for Art Bell hasn't been released.
Coast to Coast AM is aired on over 300 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.
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