Birth date: Nov 15, 1961 Death date: Mar 5, 2015
Wade Ray Jessen, Billboard's senior chart manager, Nashville, died shortly after midnight March 5 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tenn., following a heart attack. The 53-year-old media veteran and country music champion had Read Obituary
How ironic Wade would die on the 52nd. anniversary of the deaths of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes...
My wife and myself enjoyed listening to Wade on the radio all the time. We always said he was family as he was a Jessen. I am C. John and my wife is Suellen Jessen and we own and operate the Jessen Funeral Homes in Whiteland, Franklin and /Trafalgar Indiana. Our deepest sympathies to all of your family from the Jessen family in Indiana, he will and is greatly missed on the radio
Months and months have passed and we still miss you the same. You're a wonderful, irreplaceable friend. I miss you.
-Brian & Amy Jennings
I loved wade jessen on xm radio - his knowdledge of the songs and the artist was outstanding . his information to the fans and listeners was for me ,about things that I did not know and was very helpful to me in understanding the song and the singer of the song. what I will miss the most about wade ,is his voice ! unique among all I have ever heard!!! HE WILL BE MISSED VERY VERY MUCH -- by his fans and ME !!Donny Smith seabrook,texas.
I had not heard Wade on the radio for a while. Usually when that was the case the announcer would simply indicate his return date. I finally checked online and was totally shocked. As others have indicated, he made each day richer and I looked forward to simply hearing his voice. Listening to him just seemed to calm the waters. He was really the only one I cared to listen to on satellite radio. I notice many of the comments are from male listeners, which is unusual. He had a unique impact on people. I am so sorry.
Wade you were a great guy I miss you so much on the radio . R.I.P. you are missed by so many. i loved the way you new country music I will never forget you
Wade you were quite a guy and will be missed by the many lives you touched in Utah
and around the country. Rest in peace buddy, Rick Spencer
Wade was the reason I got Sirius radio. Just had to hear that voice and the stories of the music. More than anyone else, he understood that we loved the music and wanted the stories behind it. I never heard Wade talk just to hear himself talk. What he said added to the depth of the music. He shared his love and passion for classic country and for that I will always be grateful.
I will so very much miss his voice and sense of connection through the music. RIP Wade!!
Wade and I started out in radio together in Utah, and he, along with our mutual friend Mike Bryant, were very close, working at different stations, and having fun on the weekends. It was Wade who connected me to Larry Daniels at KNIX in Phoenix when I went away to graduate school, and I spent my final years in radio there.
I visited Wade in Nashville several times when he was working for WSM, and we'd talk on email often. We'd always try to get together for dinner or a drink when he and I were home in Utah for the holidays.
We had a wonderful dinner this past holiday season as he and Cory were overnighting in Salt Lake City before flying home to Nashville and I was visiting my family in Salt Lake on my way to Palm Springs CA for the winter. We shared a bottle of wine and a wonderful long dinner reminiscing about our days in Utah and our old radio friends. I met Corey for the first time that trip, and they made such a wonderful couple, and Wade was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time.
We'd talked about heading up to Ogden to visit the grave of our late friend Mike Bryant next time we were in Utah, and I was trying to convince them to come to Palm Springs to get out of the cold and wet for a long weekend this winter.
His death was a shock to say the least, but I'm so glad we had that last final dinner this past holiday season. Wade was truly a wonderful man, and a good friend. I will miss him terribly.
I hope he and Mike are saving a seat for me at the bar, and in the mean time are telling wonderful old radio stories and laughing like we did when we were all kids just starting out in radio.
My condolences to Corey and the rest of the Jessen family. I wish I could make it to Utah for the services.
Gary Gardner
Seattle, Washington/Palm Springs California
