(BENTON, Ky.) — William Dale “Bill” Burns, a familiar voice on WCBL’s airwaves, died Sunday at Baptist Health Paducah. He was 71.
Burns, known to listeners simply as Bill, worked as a disc jockey atWCBL and other area stations where he shared his passion for music with generations of western Kentucky radio fans.
“For over three decades, Bill was the heartbeat of local radio,” according to Freeland Broadcasting General Manager Chris Freeland.
Born January 8, 1954, in Benton to the late William Frank and Alma Louise Sweatt Burns, he became known not only for his radio work but also as an accomplished guitarist and outdoorsman. Friends and family remember Burns as an avid reader with a particular fondness for Stephen King novels, an animal lover who cared for creatures “big and small,” and a devoted fisherman who found peace along the water’s edge.
Burns is survived by his companion of 22 years, Nancy Singleton of Benton; four children, Amanda Burns of Louisville, William Michael Burns of Ledbetter, Jared Burns of Owensboro, and Eli Burns of Calvert City; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a sister, Barbara Wurth of Paducah; and his dog, Rowdy.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, November 21, at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah, with Brother Kenneth Puckett officiating. Burial will follow at Maplelawn Park Cemetery. Visitation begins at noon Friday at the funeral home.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the McCracken County Humane Society, 4000 Coleman Road, Paducah, KY 42001.
