Ralph Barbieri, a Bay Area radio sports-talk legend, and one of the “founding fathers” of KNBR (680 AM), died at his home in Novato on Monday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74.
Barbieri spent 28 years at KNBR, where he was a bulldog of an interviewer and projected a highly opinionated, abrasive approach that rankled some listeners. But that style also attracted a legion of fans and, over his final 15 years at KNBR, Barbieri teamed with former NBA player Tom Tolbert in a highly rated afternoon show called “The Razor and Mr. T.”
“He was one of a kind. He was special,” Tolbert said on KNBR Monday afternoon. “… He could be frustrating. But I loved working with him. He kept you on your toes.”
Barbieri, known for his raspy delivery, was dubbed “Razor Voice” early in his career by fabled San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. It, along with his pugnacious demeanor, set him apart.
“You knew when you flipped that dial and heard his voice, there was nobody like that,” said Gary Radnich, a former KNBR mainstay.
In 2005, Barbieri was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He didn’t disclose his illness to KNBR management and his audience until 2011.
Six months after his announcement, Barbieri was fired in April 2012. He sued KNBR’s parent company, Cumulus Media, alleging discrimination based on his age — then 66 — and his illnesses.
At the time, the station issued a statement that said, in part: “Ralph refused to honor some of the most basic terms of his contract. As a result, KNBR exercised its right to terminate the contract.”
In 2013, the suit was settled for an undisclosed amount.
In an April 2019 interview with The Athletic, Barbieri spoke about how his Parkinson’s disease complicated the end of his tenure at KNBR.
“(Producers) would say at the end of the hour or beginning of the hour, ‘Hey punch it up a little bit. Sound like you’re excited,’’’ he said. “But I couldn’t do it because my voice was getting weaker.”
Late in his radio career, Barbieri, who was single, became focused on becoming a father. Through in-vitro fertilization with a surrogate mother, his son, Tayte Ali, was born in 2000.
“He was fiercely loyal. He loved his family. He loved Tayte,” Tolbert recalled. “… He loved me and I loved him.”
On the air Monday, former 49ers tight end Brent Jones, who served as an occasional replacement co-host with Barbieri, spoke about The Razor’s soft side.
“He could be a ruthless interviewer,” Jones said. “But he had such a big heart. He was such a caring guy. …”
Tolbert called Barbieri “one of the founding fathers of KNBR” — and one of the two “pillars” (along with Radnich) upon which the station built its successful sports-talk franchise.
“He was such a San Francisco original. He really was,” Tolbert added. “… We got paid for laughing together.”
In his 2019 chat with The Athletic, Barbieri recalled those years with the former Warrior in typically understated style.
“It was the best coupling in the history of the world,’’ he said. “We laughed all day long every day. It just flowed from us. We didn’t even need a guest. We were at our best when we were talking to each other.
“Working with Tom was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,’’ he said, “and there isn’t even a close second.”
A San Francisco native and graduate of the University of San Francisco, Barbieri was a passionate Giants fan who praised his team when they played well and didn’t hold the venom back when they weren’t.
Barbieri didn’t land his first radio gig until he was 33 years old, when he began working for a small 5,000-watt station in Honolulu for $3 an hour. By the time he departed KNBR, he reportedly was making $400,000 a year.
Colleagues and high-profile figures from the Bay Area sports scene paid their homages on Monday. Former Giants general manager, Brian Sabean, one of Barbieri’s favorite “sparring partners,” noted on KNBR that Barbieri always came to his interviews “fully loaded” and had a way of “going for the jugular.”
“(But) if you step back and look at it,” Sabean added, “he was worth the price of admission.”
Rick Welts, the president and chief operating officer for the Warriors, tweeted: “It’s a sad day for all Bay Area sports fans. Ralph made the commute home more tolerable and interesting every single night. RIP to a Bay Area media legend.”
Many other tributes poured in over social media:
The Razor was a one of a kind. It was a privilege to sit across the glass from Ralph Barbieri and Tom Tolbert doing afternoon updates on KNBR for several years, at the peak of their great show. It’s an era that won’t be replicated. My heartfelt condolences to Ralph’s family.
— RayWoodson2.0 (@RWoodson20) August 3, 2020
Rest In Peace to a @KNBR legend and one of the true pioneers in #BayArea sports talk radio. Ralph Barbieri, you were a great friend and I appreciated you teaching me the tricks of the trade that has been instrumental to me to this very day. pic.twitter.com/I3xytuPqAT
— Adonal Foyle (@afoyle3131) August 3, 2020
Ralph Barbieri was always very kind to me..I learned so much from him..he was a pro and the cornerstone of Bay Area sports talk..I had a good time talking with him..sorry he’s gone..we lost a special man..
— Marty Lurie (@baseballmarty) August 3, 2020
Rest in peace, Ralph Barbieri. He made sports talk what it was here in the Bay Area. The interviews with Sabean, his raspy voice – there was no one like him, and there will never be no one like him. The Razor is an absolute legend. Rest easy… pic.twitter.com/xEeBYyntwX
— Bonta Hill (@BontaHill) August 3, 2020