Fred Latremouille remembered by his fellow broadcasters

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      Veteran local broadcaster Fred Latremouille has died. The popular radio and television personality died at home in Scottsdale, Arizona, after a brief illness. He was 69.

      Nanaimo-born Latremouille got his start in broadcasting in 1961 when, at the age of 16, he got a job at CKYL, a country-and-western station in Peace River, Alberta. The succeeding years saw Latremouille take on a variety of gigs both on and off the airwaves, from manning the drum kit for the rock band the Classics to co-editing the Georgia Straight.

      He also spent some time in front of the TV cameras, hosting the youth-oriented CBC programs Let's Go and Where It's At.

      In more recent decades, Latremouille's was a very familiar voice to Vancouver radio listeners thanks to his stints at stations such as CFUN and KISS-FM. His regular on-air partner was his wife, Cathy. The pair retired in 2007, and their wanderlust led them to Prince Edward Island, Hawaii, and Arizona.

      Many of Latremouille's fellow broadcasters took to Twitter today to share their memories.

      Comments

      17 Comments

      Rockie

      Mar 5, 2015 at 5:02pm

      I remember him on 103.5 morning show and enjoyed the on-air camaraderie he had with his wife. Regretted that he left radio but hoped he'd come back to the Vancouver airwaves. So sad, condolences to his wife.

      Dawn Hughes

      Mar 5, 2015 at 5:56pm

      So sad. I would listen to Fred in the morning while driving to work, laughing while he told is many stories. So many times I would have to pull over because I was laughing so hard I couldn't drive. What a great way to start the day, listening to one of the funniest men. It was a pleasure. Bless you

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      Karen Mitchell

      Mar 5, 2015 at 6:35pm

      Wow, so sad. Remembering Fred takes me back...1968 Fred was married to Blanche, I was friends with her sister Kim. We walked Fred's 2 German Shepherd dogs. He was engaging and funny then. I recall listening to his song Latramotion on 45. We thought he was great. Later, it was the kissing booth at Kits high, with Terry David Mulligan....who knew their futures then. I enjoyed the wake up calls with Fred and Cathy, seriously great radio comedy. Gone far too soon, remembered fondly.

      Bill Merrill

      Mar 5, 2015 at 8:49pm

      One of the most talented radio personalities ever. Fred was always interesting always evocative. Gone too soon you'll be missed.

      Dave Doroghy

      Mar 5, 2015 at 9:49pm

      I absolutely admired Fred. As a young teenager trying to imagine breaking into radio one day I put him high on a pedestal. I listened to him religiously and tried my best to sound like him. I spent countless hours with the radio tuned to 1410 studying his nuances, inflections, pauses, and breath stops. His timing was second to none. And above all he was so so personal. When he spoke on the radio you felt like he was just talking to you. It was like overhearing a normal guy talking at the table next to you in the coffee shop. He had the common touch.
      People in radio would understand this more so than others. But he was simply the best. To me listening to him was like listening to a brilliant orchestra lead by the by the worlds greatest conductor. Fred had that kind of talent.
      My regret though is that I never knew him. I only had two brief encounters where I interacted with him. In 1981 he did a short stint at CJOR doing an afternoon talk show, believe it or not. I got to be his board operator on a couple of his shifts. Then in 1989 I was working for the Ad agency J Walter Thompson. We used Fred in a commercial for one of our Clients. I think it was Freybe Sausage, maybe another sausage brand. (can someone help me out here??? Peter Baron, who has also sadly since passed was the writer and producer). At any rate Fred was the talent and I sat in on the recording session as the suit. It was pure magic.
      In both of my brief encounters he surpassed my expectations for being interesting, nice, and oh so talented! Since I was interested in him, I have heard countless stories from others on how special he was. Really saddened to hear this news.
      I thought that he had moved to PEI. I was unaware that he was in Arizona?

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      Wendy Williams

      Mar 6, 2015 at 7:44am

      Sadly missed, never met in person but listening to him all these years it was like I new him. My heart goes out to the family.

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      Diane G

      Mar 6, 2015 at 7:53am

      Fred was part of my morning life all those years he was on radio. Always entertained, he will be missed.

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      Rod Fraser

      Mar 6, 2015 at 9:30am

      Growing up in Vancouver and listening to CFUN in the 60's and 70's I remember Fred's infectious radio style and personality. These were the days when the music was amazing and Fred conveyed the feeling of those days from a cultural perspective. Fred was a big part of the culture of early Vancouver rock radio and in the 80's I was so pleased to hear him on FM radio with Cathy Baldazzi. Thanks Fred and Cathy for all the fantastic memories. Those were the best days…when things were real. I remember his nickname being Raunchy Wolf among others and his fun phone calls to unassuming people were hilarious. Rest in peace Freddy!

      Local Legend

      Mar 6, 2015 at 10:47am

      I remember listening to him in dad's car, the one with the AM radio & 8 track, before he patterned up on radio with Kathy. Years ago I read a profile of him that mentioned a serious health crisis he had faced years ago, late 70's maybe? Didn't he do a stint on Hourglass as a sports reporter or something?

      One other note: he had hosted Gordo the night he was caught drunk driving in Hawaii.

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      Bill Price

      Mar 6, 2015 at 11:41am

      I remember when he first came to Vancouver. He had a contest for listeners to spell his last name.

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