Rebecca Pratt, a former New Orleans radio personality known for an outspoken on-air style and deep connection to listeners, has died at age 55.
Pratt was found dead in her apartment in the 900 block of Poeyfarre Street by building managers on Thursday, according to a police log and WWL-AM. The cause and manner of death have not been determined.
A transgender woman formerly known as John Osterlind, or by the on-air nickname Ozone, Pratt was one of the out-of-town hosts hired by conservative talk station WRNO-FM as part of a 2008 shake-up.
Drawing on previous stints in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, Pratt brought a “rock-and-roll mentality” to the comparatively staid airwaves of New Orleans, said Michael Castner, WRNO’s morning host at the time. One regular feature was “Why Today Doesn’t Suck,” a comedic rundown of the day’s date in history.
Pratt was admired by other hosts for her “non-stop” wit, Castner said. Fellow radio station employees didn’t escape the banter: Castner said that Pratt had “something inappropriate as a nickname for pretty much everyone.”
‘Not faking it’
Her words sometimes landed her in hot water. In Boston, one talk radio station fired her after she made an offensive comment about Palestinians. The station said she had said Palestinians “have to go” during a conversation about suicide bombings.
Off the air, Pratt sometimes broke what Castner described as the first rule in radio by getting drinks with listeners. But even though Pratt wasn’t a New Orleans native, her easygoing connection with the public made it work, said Jim Fisher, former program director for WRNO.
“A lot of people are fake out there,” said James Parker, another former colleague. Pratt, he added, “wasn’t faking it, and I think people could tell.”
Transitions
Pratt’s run on WRNO came to an end in 2015. Her next stop was on the rock station WKBU-FM, a return to roots for the former record spinner at Boston’s WAAF-FM.
No longer on the air at the time of her death, Pratt told friends about her gender transition about a year ago, Castner said. Pratt spoke about her transition in an online radio appearance with Parker in May.
“I know she would love for everybody to know the truth,” Parker said.
