Kenny Nichols “Motown” Murphy, who worked briefly in the ‘80s as a disc jockey at radio station WGIV, died Thursday at Bojangles Coliseum. He was 52 years old.

A police report said Murphy was found at the location unresponsive. The Mecklenburg medical examiner’s office said he died of heart disease.

Friends and former co-workers said Murphy had battled health issues for year and was thought to have been at the arena preparing for a CIAA-related event.

Ken Koontz, the first African American reporter at WBTV, said he met a young Murphy while out on assignment in the early 1970s. He estimated that Murphy might have been 11 years old at the time.

“I was coving news somewhere and this kid came up to me,” Koontz recalled. “He said he wanted to be on the radio. I told him, ‘I do TV,’ and he said he was going to be on TV, too.”

Over the years, Koontz said, he became a mentor-like figure to Murphy, taking him into the broadcast booth during Johnson C. Smith University football games.

What set Murphy apart, Koontz said, was his persistence.

“Kenny had something that a lot of people never have,” Koontz said. “He had passion. He never wavered.”

Friends said Murphy began doing odd jobs at WGIV and was eventually given a shot behind the microphone, calling himself Kenny “Motown Money-Making” Murphy.

When his stint as a DJ ended, Murphy sometimes worked behind the scenes at Charlotte-area stations. He later drove a taxi and worked with local promoters, passing out flyers or performing other jobs.

“He helped just about every promoter in town who needed something or needed a foot solider,” Koontz said.

Malachi Greene, a former Charlotte City Council member, said Murphy was the kind of person others enjoyed being around.

“He was one of those cats who, when he came around, everybody was happy,” Green said. “He had a lot of happiness about him, and it was infectious.”

BJ Murphy, program director and morning show host at WGIV, called Kenny Murphy a “people’s DJ.”

“He was a guy made to be in the spotlight,” BJ Murphy said. “There are some people who have a magnetizing personality. He was one of those kinds of people.”

A funeral service is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, at St. Paul Baptist Church. Visitation will be Tuesday, March 8, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Alexander Funeral Home.

Burial will be in Sharon Memorial Park.

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