James “Radio” Kennedy, a prominent figure of a South Carolina high school football program, has passed away, according to a local news outlet.
According to WYFF News 4, Kennedy’s niece and caregiver Jackie Kennedy said Radio, 73, was taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon and he passed away early this morning.
The story of Radio’s friendship with the former T.L. Hanna football coach Harold Jones in the 1960s was the subject of the beloved movie, in which Cuba Gooding Jr. played him.
Radio got his nickname by always walking around with a transistor radio up to his ear. He became enthralled by the high school football team and was taken in and treated like family by the football community.
According to Jones, Radio was previously hospitalized early December and treated for pancreatitis, along with ongoing diabetes and kidney issues.
Radio was inducted into the T.L. Hanna Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
