Tampa Radio Icon Tedd Webb Entering Hospice Care
He was a part of the legendary “Q Morning Zoo” of the early 1980’s with Scott Shannon & Cleveland Wheeler on Q105. He remained a fixture on Tampa morning radio for years. It is with heavy hearts we share the news Tedd Webb’s son Lee Ruiz posted today on social media. He says Tedd is ending his dialysis treatment Friday and is transitioning to hospice care. We wish Tedd and his entire family peace at this incredibly difficult time.
I’ve been with Q105 for most of the last decade, but I never got to work with Tedd. He left Q105 back in 1983. But a lot of my colleagues have and all have nothing but good things to say about him. Q105 weekend host Steve Austin has been close to Tedd Webb for the past 30 years and spoke with me about their relationship and the man Tedd is.
Before we had a chance to have that conversation, Steve sent this message about his friend… “This week Tedd Webb let us know that he decided to stop dialysis and except the inevitable. I know that made many of us very sad but Tedd decided it was best to go out on his own terms and I deeply respect that. My mind goes back to nearly 30 years ago when Tedd was the host of sports rap and I was blessed to kind of be his back up when he couldn’t do it. He always made sure that I had the sports information that I needed and helped me in any way he could and always a professional. He and I had a funny conversation a few months ago about an intro to sports rap That you certainly couldn’t do today not appropriate but incredibly funny. Ted should be remembered as a kind and gentle person and the very best of what Tampa Bay media had to offer. When my son passed away four years ago, Tedd called me every few weeks and in fact even now he called me about every month or so. When he called he would cry and grieve for Ryan and pray for me. Just an amazing person. I think it’s fair to say the way that radio and television has changed there will never be another Tedd Webb. God bless you Tedd we love you.”
Lee Ruiz’s message to his father’s fans…
I’m not one to share personal info often, but wanted to give an update on my dad, Tedd Webb, for family, friends, listeners and anyone else.
As you all know; he’s been dealing with health issues for quite some time, with the dialysis and dementia being particularly taxing. For the longest time he kept pushing and pushing through it because he didn’t want to cause pain for those who cared about him. He also felt like there was still more to do, and more people to help. I believe that completely exemplifies his existence throughout his life, and I’ve never known a more selfless human being on this planet. It’s been amazing to witness, and I can’t put into words how proud I am to call him my father.
With that said, he’s reached a point where he’s no longer able to continue the fight, and is ready to move onto the next phase. He’s decided to discontinue dialysis after this Friday, and will transition into a Hospice Home early next week. This wasn’t an easy decision for him to make, and obviously no one wants to lose him, but there’s only so much one person can endure. He feels the time is right and, “that’s how he sees it” as he would say.
I want to thank every single person who’s reached out with messages of love and support. I can assure you that just as much as he means to you, you’ve meant the same to him. I remember he would force himself to wake up 30 minutes earlier than his already-ungodly hour, to send his happy birthday wishes because of how much he cherishes you all. I’ve been doing the best I can to relay all of the sentiments to him, and it’s been truly touching for him so thank you for that. If you have any memories or pictures in particular you’d like me to pass along, please send them our way.
I know a lot of people would like to spend one more time with him, and as much as we would like to accommodate all of those wishes, it’s just not possible. Given his current state, and that this came about rather abruptly, we have a very tight window of time left which makes it difficult to pull off. I apologize for this, and I hope you can understand and respect that. He genuinely loves you all as well as the bonds you’ve formed and experiences you’ve shared along the way.
I’ll keep everyone in the loop as much as possible, and again I can’t thank you enough for the overwhelming show of support. It’s been totally uplifting for him during this time, and we appreciate it.
Live it up!
