Atlanta radio host Steve McCoy says has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
The longtime broadcaster, who spent years keeping Atlanta commuters company with his friend and colleague Vikki Locke on Star 94 - with whom was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2009 - had more recently been helming the morning show at News Radio 106.7 with Cheryl White.
McCoy was suspended and then let go from 106.7 this week after revealing he aired an old interview with presidential candidate Donald Trump and presented it as if it had just happened.
Steve had planned to share his medical news with listeners before he was suspended, Vikki told the AJC on Thursday night.
"Steve McCoy enjoys a good fight," she said. "Since our first meeting back in the 80’s I knew one thing for certain. Steve loves radio. It’s his passion. His life. He wants to win at all costs. Now he is in the battle of his life. He is fighting Parkinson’s disease. Other than his wife, he’s been hiding this from family and friends since 2006 when he was diagnosed."
The two have remained close friends since their time on air sunsetted, and Vikki was key in spurring him to seek answers when early signs of the disease became apparent.
"Many noticed the tremor in his right hand," she said. "He blamed it on too much caffeine. I came out and asked point blank, 'What’s wrong, do you have Parkinson’s? You need to be tested.'"
His initial response: “If I have it, I don’t want to know.”
Steve and his wife, Linda, are avid supporters of Cure Childhood Cancer and play an active role in their grandchildren's lives. He has apologized for airing the vintage Trump interview as if it just happened.
"He’s not a journalist but made a mistake by editing an old interview of Donald Trump and playing it back on 106.7 this week and claiming it was current. Dumb move, yes," Locke said. "This all happened at the same time he decided to tell his children and best friends the truth about his illness. In my opinion, it was a bad decision. But looking at the big picture, it’s the least of his worries, or Donald Trump's."
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