RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond radio community continues to mourn the sudden death of longtime radio host and Mix98.1 deejay Kat Simons.
Simons’ death was announced on Saturday by the radio station where she worked as a midday deejay for more than 25 years. Her cause of death was not made public.
Community members who knew Simons and worked closely with her spoke Monday about the impact she left on them.
“Women in radio, we just got together all the time to make sure that we were taking care of each other because it was definitely a boys’ club when we first got started,” longtime Richmond radio personality Melissa Chase said. “She was sort of the mom for women in radio. And she supported us in so many ways.”
Melissa Golden, Vice President of Henrico Humane Society, worked with Simons while volunteering at the nonprofit’s annual Pet Expo for 15 years.
Golden remembers being a guest on Simons’ radio show, and her unique ability to make everybody feel special.
“You never felt like it was an interview with Kat,” she said. “It felt like a conversation.”