Don Imus Wife, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth, Measurements, Death

Don Imus, popularly known as Imus and nicknamed Shock Jock, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. He rose to prominence as a radio show announcer and also became famous for his controversial statements. In 1971, he had launched his radio show Imus in the Morning which aired on various stations and digital platforms nationwide until 2018.

Moreover, the multi-talented personality was also known for his philanthropic works. However, he died after three days on December 27, 2019, he was admitted to hospital due to complications from a lung condition. Scroll to learn more about his personal life, career, and relationships.

DON IMUS: BIO, FAMILY, EDUCATION

The multi-talented personality was born on July 23, 1940 in Riverside, California, United States as John Donald Imus Jr. He was born as a son into the wealthy family and his parents John Donald Imus, Sr .and Frances E. Imus who ran a 35,000-acre “The Willows” ranch near Kingman, Arizona. He had a younger brother, Fre Imus, who was found dead at his Tucson home on August 6, 2011.

When she was fifteen, her parents divorced and her father died after five years. In 1957, he dropped out of high school and joined the United States Marine Corps at Base Camp Pendleton. He worked as a window dresser after leaving the Marines with an honorable discharge in 1960. After that, he moved to Hollywood with his younger brother in order to pursue his career as a musician and songwriter. But that left them homeless and moved to Arizona. Then he joined the University of the Pacific and dropped out to work on a Southern Pacific Railroad as a brakeman and also worked in a uranium mine where he suffered an accident and broke both his legs.

DON IMUS: CAREER AND LIFE ACHIEVEMENTS

After working a few odd jobs, he enrolled in the Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Science in 1966. He worked as a singer-songwriter after winning a talent contest at the Johnny Otis nightclub. In 1968, he signed as a radio DJ with KUTY in Palmdale, California, and achieved success within two months. He also won a Billboard Award for Airline Personality of the Year.

A year later, in 1969, he went to join KJOY and in no time, he became famous for his rude comments and controversial statements. This not only made him popular, but also embroiled in unrest which led to him being fired from the station. However, KXOA hired him and his popularity increased further after he pulled an on-air prank by calling a restaurant and ordering 1200 burgers. In 1971, he joined WNBC radio in New York and recorded three albums: “1200 Hamburgers to Go”, “One Sacred Chicken to Go with Anthrax” and “This Honky’s Nuts”.

The same year, he began hosting his show “Imus in the Morning” in December. From the show, he introduced the concept of “humorous insult” to the audience. This earned him immense popularity among his fans. Despite his work and his popularity, he became addicted to alcohol and drugs often absent from his job. Consequently, he was fired from the station in 1977, however, he was reappointed to the station in 1979 and resumed his morning show until the show was canceled on April 12, 2007. Additionally, he had also worked at WHK and WNEW-TV.

In 1989 he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Additionally, as an author, he published his first book, the novel ‘Dos’s Other Son’ in July 1981 and republished in 1994. The book spent its seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

DON IMUS: PERSONAL LIFE AND WIFE

Talking about his personal life, he married twice and divorced once. His first married to Harriet who had two daughters from his previous marriage. He had also had two children: Ashley and Elizabeth with Harriet. But their relationship did not go well and ended in divorce in 1979.

After years, he found love again with Deirdre Coleman and got married on December 17, 1994. The couple’s life went smoothly and they were together until Don’s death. Together, they had welcomed their son Frederick Wyatt in 1998. Moreover, he also adopted children from whom he had adopted his sixth child in 2010.

Additionally, he had suffered several injuries after falling from a horse on his ranch in 2000. This led him to broadcast many episodes of his show from the hospital. The injuries left him with chronic respiratory problems which he spoke about on his show. In 2009, he announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer. He did not undergo radiation therapy but treated the disease holistically. On December 24, 2019, he admitted to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in College Station, Texas. But after three days, on December 27, he died at the age of 79 from complications of a lung disease.

DON IMUS: NET WORTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES

As far as his net worth is concerned, he had earned a considerable sum from his involved work for decades as a radio announcer. Hence, he had an estimated net worth of around $45 million from his career. Additionally, he is also a philanthropist who founded the Imus Ranch in 1999 with his wife. The foundation was founded to provide children with cancer a chance to experience life on a working cattle ranch for free. But the ranch program was discontinued in 2014.

Along with his family, he also participated in the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, Tomorrow’s Children Foundation. It is a New Jersey-based charity for children with cancer and blood disorders. Additionally, he has worked with the CJ Foundation, an organization that supports research and educational efforts on SIDS.

Under the unverified account @WherMyImusAt on Twitter with 26.6k followers.

DON IMUS: BODY MEASUREMENTS

The late TV personality was 6ft 2in tall with unknown weight and measurements. He had hazel eye color and salt pepper hair color.