Disc Jockey Wolfman Jack Dead At 57

BELVIDERE, N.C. - Wolfman Jack, the rock 'n' roll disc jockey whose gravelly voice and wolf howls made him one of the nation's most recognizable voices, died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 57.

The Wolfman, whose real name was Robert Smith, collapsed shortly after returning home earlier in the day, said Lonnie Napier, vice president of Wolfman Jack Entertainment.

He had just completed a 20-day trip to promote his new book "Have Mercy, The Confession of the Original Party Animal," about his early career and parties with celebrities.

Born in Brooklyn, the Wolfman came to prominence in the early 1960s on XERF-AM, playing the latest rock 'n' roll on a Mexican station that broadcast at 250,000 watts, five times the power allowed on any U.S. station at the time.

His howls and yips, and the blues and hillbilly records he spun blanketed much of the United States all night long.

In between the cuts, he'd hawk plastic figurines of Jesus, coffins and inspirational literature, and exhort his listeners to "get yo'self nekkid."

Though already well known, it wasn't until he played himself in George Lukas' 1973 movie "American Graffiti" that America saw the face that went with the voice. After "American Graffiti," he appeared in more than 40 network TV shows and had his own syndicated TV show. In the 1980s, the Wolfman became host of "Rock 'n' Roll Palace" on The Nashville Network, featuring performers such as the Shirelles, the Coasters and the Crickets. He also had played host on a weekly TV show called "The Midnight Special" for eight years, leaving in 1982.

More recently, the Wolfman had been doing a weekly syndicated radio show for Liberty broadcasting from a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Washington, D.C. His last show, picked up by about 70 stations, was Friday night.

The portly Wolfman had recently lost 40 pounds through diet and exercise, Napier said. "But he still smoked his Camels. He was going to live the way he lived," he said.

Todd Rundgren, the Guess Who, Leon Russell and Freddie King all wrote songs about him.

He is survived by his wife, Lou Lamb Smith; a daughter, Joy Rene Smith, 33; and a son, Tod Weston Smith, 31.