Longtime CFRA host Lowell Green passes at 89

People from across the region are sharing memories of the bombastic radio host, who set the tone in Ottawa for decades.

Lowell Green, the long time talk-show host on Newstalk 580 CFRA, passed away on Saturday, according to his family.

According to the Facebook statement, Green died suddenly at the age of 89.

“Lowell will be remembered for promoting ‘common sense’ and his ‘island of sanity,’” the statement reads.

Green was a prominent figure on Ottawa’s airwaves, hosting the “Greenline”, which debuted in 1966, and “The Lowell Green Show.”

In January 2016, after five decades on the air, Green retired as the longest-running open-line talk show host.

When he retired, Green told CTV News that what he loved most about his time in radio was the ability to play an important role in the community.

“The show and the radio station itself have become part of the collective memory bank for this community,” Lowell told CFRA. “But being able to get things done—sometimes just to raise hell—but playing a role in the life of the community is very important.”

Two of Green’s broadcasts are preserved at Library and Archives Canada. Although he retired in 2016, he continued contributing to CFRA and hosted an online show until 2022.

‘Legendary Ottawa broadcaster’

In a statement on the social media website X, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe shared his sympathies with Green’s friends, family and listeners.

“I’m very sad to hear of the passing of legendary Ottawa broadcaster Lowell Green. I grew up listening to Lowell on @CFRAOttawa and then became a colleague and friend for 20 years,” Sutcliffe wrote.

“He was a groundbreaking talk show host and a proud Canadian.”

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre called Green’s death “the end of an era.”

“Lowell was the voice of the common people of the Ottawa Valley,” Poilievre said in a statement.

“Day after day he would fill the airwaves with the truth that no one else had the courage to speak. He was the voice of the hardworking majority of people so often forgotten by those in power. He would build and mobilize massive audiences who raised their voices to bring change for the better. We all owe him a great debt of gratitude for his relentless work, courage, and common sense.”

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Canadian parents, Green grew up in Arthur, Ont. and attended McGill University. He began his career with CFRA as a news and farm reporter.

The radio host led several campaigns in Ottawa, including one to save the Centennial flame on Parliament Hill. He also led a campaign encouraging listeners to send bottles of polluted Rideau River water to Queen’s Park, which eventually helped lead to the creation of the Rideau River Conservation Authority.

Green also helped co-found the Ottawa chapter of Big Brothers and the Help Santa Toy Parade and penned ten books. He also helped found the Sunday Herald, which would eventually be purchased by the Ottawa Sun.

“While Lowell was a well-known supporter of the Conservative Party, some might be surprised to learn that he sought the Liberal nomination for the federal riding of Pontiac in 1968 and ran for the Ontario Liberals in an Ottawa Centre by-election in 1984,” the post reads.

Green was the recipient of multiple awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and the Radio Television Digital News Association lifetime achievement award.

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