Who Was Art Bell? Radio Host Dies At 72

Originator and former host of late-night American radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM,” Art Bell died at the age of 72 on Friday at his Nevada home surrounded by his family. The news of Bell’s death was confirmed by Nye County, Nevada, Sheriff’s Office.

The last time Bell hosted an edition of "Coast to Coast AM" was in the year 2010. In the recent years, he was more involved in the creation and production of an overnight talk show named “Midnight in the Desert” on the Dark Matter Digital Network.

The current host of his former show “Coast to Coast AM,” George Noory also made an announcement about Bell’s death during his show at 1:20 a.m. local time (2:20 a.m. EDT) Saturday. The cause of Bell's death was yet to be revealed.

Born June 17, 1934, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Arthur Bell, Jr., a United States Marine Corps captain, and Jane Gumaer Bell, a Marine drill instructor, Bell also served in the U.S. Air Force as a medic during the Vietnam War and in his free time operated a pirate radio station at Amarillo Air Force Base, where he played anti-war music that was not aired on the American Forces Network.

He was an American Broadcaster and author and the original host of the paranormal-themed show “Coast to Coast AM,” which was broadcasted on hundreds of radio station in U.S. and Canada. He also created and hosted its companion show “Dreamland.”

He semi-retired from the show in the year 2003 and hosted a lot of weekend programs on primetime networks for the following four years. Bell finally announced his retirement in July 2007 but even after that, on occasions, served as a guest host through 2010.

According to his bio, when Bell was asked the reason for his retirement, he said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and their daughter, who was born in May 2007.

But even after announcing his retirement, Bell returned to radio July 20, 2015, with a new show called “Midnight in the Desert,” which is available online on TuneIn and on some terrestrial radio stations. However, he retired again in December 2015 citing security concerns at his home.

Bell said he and his family were subject to repeated intrusions at his home in Pahrump, Nevada, including gunshots.

Fearing for his family’s safety, Bell finally decided to go off the air due to the attention that comes with living in the public life because he believed the intruder(s) wanted him to leave the shows.

In addition to his TV shows, Bell was also the original owner of a Pahrump-based radio station, KNYE 95.1 FM and both his broadcast studio and transmitter were located near his home in Pahrump itself.

Bell also lived in the Philippines from June to December 2006 and returned back in March 2009 after having difficulties in obtaining a visa for his wife. He is survived by his wife Airyn and their daughter.