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Christian radio personality Rob Dempsey, whose voice touched countless lives across the Carolinas and Georgia, died Wednesday evening following complications from recently diagnosed bladder cancer. The longtime host of "Rob and Lizz in the Morning" on HIS Radio was 57.
According to station officials, Dempsey suffered cardiac arrest during emergency surgery at a Greenville hospital. His wife Amy later confirmed the cause was a blood clot that traveled from his lung to his heart.
The veteran broadcaster had shared his stage 3 bladder cancer diagnosis with listeners just a week prior, on October 16. Despite the gravity of his condition, Dempsey maintained his characteristic optimism, writing on social media: "I'm determined to be that grandpa who will watch them grow up, graduate and get married. I want to grow old with my wife who has been a rock through all of this."
His journey to radio stardom emerged from unlikely beginnings. As Dempsey previously revealed to HisAir, he started as "a homeless teenager, addicted to drugs and alcohol" before a chance encounter with Christian radio station WCIE in Lakeland, Florida, transformed his life. After getting clean, he built a 35-year career in broadcasting, working his way up from production roles to becoming a prominent station manager.
Colleagues at HIS Radio, where Dempsey served for 24 years, remembered him as more than just a supervisor. "He was not just a boss, but a leader and an encourager," one staff member shared during Thursday's broadcast. "His fingerprints are all over this place."
In recent years, Dempsey had become an inspiration for personal transformation, having lost 140 pounds through dedicated lifestyle changes. However, he began noticing unusual symptoms in September, leading to his eventual diagnosis.
His son Spencer took to Facebook following the announcement, writing: "Everything he did was aimed at bringing God glory, and only God knows how many lives he's touched. I love you dad, I'll see you soon. Well done."
Dempsey has been survived by his wife, married for 33 years, and children Spencer, Elijah, Wes and Amanda, with two grandchildren Grace and Jackson. His legacy spans across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, where he served as operations and program director for HIS Radio network.
