There is terribly sad, heartbreaking, news at KALX today.
Our long-time Music Librarian, Mike Rizzi, known on the air as Mike Burma, passed away this morning from cancer. Our hearts break for his family, friends, and colleagues.
Mike started at KALX as a student in the 1980s and never left the station. He spent decades carefully tending to our massive and always growing music library, as well as training scores of students and community volunteers in how to build and maintain that amazing and precious resource. It is doubtful that any other individual had a bigger influence on KALX and its culture — not to mention its vast library — than Mike Rizzi. Mike cared deeply about music, the station, its staff, and its listeners.
Mike was exceptionally welcoming to students and other new volunteers. He took great delight in sharing the joys of KALX and college radio with others. We will all try to follow his example as we move into the future.
We will surely have commemorations and celebrations of his life on the air in the weeks ahead. For now, let us hold each other tight as we mourn this terrible loss.
2-11-25: Influential Bay Area DJ of 40 years dies at 63, from David Curran at SF Gate
2-13-25: ‘Mike Was KALX’: Mike Rizzi, longtime DJ and music librarian, dies at 63, from Ayah Ali-Ahmad at The Daily Californian
