A native New Yorker, Harper’s on-air style was as smooth as the soulful slow jams he played on his pioneering show.
Harper and fellow host Champaine launched the “Quiet Storm” in the early 1980s — and his voice soon became a signature of WBLS.
“Sorry to hear we lost another NYC radio Legend.. RIP #Vaughn Harper,” DJ Spinderella tweeted. “Babies were made to the ‘Quiet Storm.’”
Harper almost lost his voice in 1993 after suffering a stroke. But he bounced back — doing stints at WBGO, WWRL and WTJM — before returning to WBLS.
He remained at the station until 2008, amassing numerous accolades.
“The @WBLS1075NYC has lost one of the most iconic members of our family,” the station tweeted. “RIP Vaughn Harper.”
Before he launched a career in radio, Harper was a standout basketball player.
The 6-foot-4 forward led Boys High School in Brooklyn to a city title as a junior and went on to score 1,000 points playing for Syracuse University.
An outstanding jumper who gobbled up rebounds, Harper was nicknamed “Kangaroo Kid.”
He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1968 but failed to make the team.
Harper’s death prompted a flood of online tributes.
“Damn. I grew up on Vaughn Harper,” rapper Talib Kweli tweeted.
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