WLS RADIO GREAT Don Wade dead at 72 - True News USA reported just this week he was in his final days....

For nearly 30 years, the husband and wife team of “Don Wade and Roma” entertained and informed WLS-AM (890) listeners with a longevity unique in Chicago radio history.

But on Sunday night, WLS-AM website shared the sad news from Roma that “my hero, my best friend, my soulmate” had passed away “in my loving arms.’’

By 10 p.m., 10,000 well-wishers had sent emails to Roma Wade via the getwelldon@gmail.com email address on the WLS-AM 890 website, said the station’s program manager, Tracy Slutzkin.

Mr. Wade, 72, died Friday morning in Florida after a nearly yearlong battle with brain cancer. His condition prompted the couple to step down from their popular morning talk radio show in December to focus on Mr. Wade’s health.

Among the longest-running husband-and-wife radio teams in Chicago, Mr. Wade served as the curmudgeon with a heart to Roma’s softer side. The combination became a linchpin of WLS-AM radio’s programming.

“WLS and Chicago lost an exceptional broadcaster on Friday,’’ Slutzkin told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Don Wade was not only a colleague but a mentor and a very close friend. For 27 years he entertained Chicagoland with his entertaining and thought-provoking take on the days news.’’

Colleagues in the field recognized Mr. Wade’s contributions on Twitter. Eddie Volkman, longtime former WBBM-FM (96.3) morning co-host, said in a tweet: “We lost a Chicago legend and more importantly, a great human.’’

A Chicago memorial was being planned.