Larry Updike
Well-known Winnipeg broadcaster and media personality Larry Updike has passed away after a brief battle with colon cancer. He was 69.
Updike died early Thursday morning after recently undergoing cancer surgery last week. He publicly announced his health struggles on June 13.
“I have received shocking news. I have colon cancer…and spots on my liver,” he wrote on social media.
“The last few days I have been at Grace Hospital being tested for unrelenting abdominal pain which I have had in the last few weeks.”
Updike is perhaps best known for co-hosting the “Tom and Larry” show with fellow broadcaster Tom McGouran. The show ran for six years at Power 97 before moving over to 92.1 CITI in 1988. The duo relaunched the popular show in a podcast format in 2014.
Updike also spent time on the air at 680 CJOB and CBC Radio One, where he hosted “Up to Speed” from 2010 to 2013.
Updike was recognized for his engaging on-air presence and had been a notable figure in Winnipeg’s media landscape for many years, including when he briefly stepped away from the mic to become the senior spokesman for Siloam Mission in 2009. That same year, Updike was inducted into the Manitoba Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame. His other accolades include being awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for his work with the War Amps.
In 2014, the Saskatchewan native published a book entitled, “My Word! The Larry Updike Story.”
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Mary-Ann, and son, Gordon.
“I am far more concerned about her [Mary-Ann] & Gordon than anything else. If you consider me your friend, please remember that,” Updike wrote on social media.
In his final post just days ago, Updike sent Father’s Day wishes to his 92-year-old dad.
I have received shocking news
I have colon cancer … and spots on my liver. ?? pic.twitter.com/B4mIcmRBLd— Larry Updike (@LarryUpdike) June 14, 2024
