Kyle Brown, whose comic segments on a popular Salt Lake City radio show gave way to honest accounts of his battle with a neurodegenerative disease, has died.
Brown, known as “Our Son Kyle” on X96′s “Radio From Hell” program, died Tuesday at his Kaysville home from complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), his family and the radio show announced Wednesday. He was 53.
Brown would call in weekly to “Radio From Hell,” in comic bits where he would update listeners on his life or his latest get-rich-quick scheme. (The premise behind the routine was that Brown was the son of hosts Bill Allred and Kerry Jackson — in the days before DNA tests, it was never determined which — and his calls were a condition of Allred and Jackson’s custody.) The bits, introduced by Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy,” usually ended with Brown’s diversionary sign-off, “Look over there.”
Brown performed his comedy bits from the late ‘90s through about 2015 — a “Radio From Hell” producer was unable to provide exact dates — before a falling out with the hosts, the details of which Allred and Jackson regularly refused to discuss on the air.
On July 16, 2021, according to an obituary posted by Russon Mortuary, Brown was diagnosed with ALS, sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. On the same day, he and his girlfriend, Colleen Neider, climbed to the top of Francis Peak, on the border of Morgan and Davis counties, where he proposed to her. They were married on the peak three weeks later, and Colleen took on the role of caretaker as the disease progressed.
Brown returned to X96′s airwaves in 2021, applying his sardonic humor to the day-to-day struggles of ALS, as well as musings on his mortality. Over time, the disease caused his speech to become so slurred that he couldn’t speak on the radio, and he wrote letters that Allred would read on the air.
As Brown fought the disease, he continued to attend rock concerts and take trips. He also continued to pursue his passion: Triathlons. Brown had been involved with the Utah Cycling Association for 20 years, and started competing in triathlons in 2010, often winning local competitions, his family said.
In May 2022, Brown competed in his last Ironman World Championship triathlon, trying to become the second person with ALS to complete a full Ironman course. As The Salt Lake Tribune’s Julie Jag reported at the time, Brown completed the 2.4-mile swim portion in Sand Hollow Reservoir, in a time of 3:45:24 — and was unable to continue to the cycling and running parts of the event.
“I feel like I let people down,” Brown said later. “This was not for me anymore. … I’m glad I tried it. Because if not, I would have failed completely.”
Kyle Robert Brown was born March 26, 1970, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He grew up in Centerville, Utah, graduating from Viewmont High School in 1988. He married Alison Grundy in 1992; they had a son, Lance, in 2002, and later divorced.
Brown held many different jobs over his life, the family said: Cartographer, flipping houses, opening his own auto dealership, and teaching classes in several Davis County gyms. It was at one gym where he met Colleen, who also taught classes.
Brown is survived by his wife, Colleen; his son, Lance; step-children Trent, Jack, Nina and Chase Neider; parents Bob and Chris Brown; his sister, Jordan Bailey; brothers Colton, Trenton and Jordan Brown; various in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces.
A celebration of Brown’s life is scheduled for Saturday, 11:30 a.m., at CenterPoint Theatre, 525 N. 400 West, Centerville. A short visitation will precede the event, from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. According to a Facebook post, visitors are asked to bring stickers to “tag” the casket, like a skateboard deck, to mark their relationship to Brown; stickers will be provided for those who don’t bring their own. After the service, there will be a group bike ride to the Farmington Cemetery, a 4-mile route on flat paved streets.
