As he walked toward his car on a cold, icy day in Denver, Reggie McDaniel once took off his colorful shoes and gave them to a homeless man on the street, walking the rest of the way in socks.
“He did things like that for people all the time,” said his daughter, Nadirah A. Mbaruk. “He loved everybody, truly.”
Reginald “Reggie” McDaniel, a longtime radio and television host in Denver, passed away Friday. He was 60.
McDaniel worked on-air doing movie reviews on KOA (850-AM radio), KWGN-Channel 2, and had also worked with 9News and STARZ. Most recently, he worked on a website called “Everyday People’s Entertainment Guide.”
McDaniel died of complications from a lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which he survived in 1997 even though doctors at the time had told him he would die in 30 days to two years.
Friends and family said McDaniel couldn’t resist talking to strangers.
“It was interesting to go out with him; he loved people,” said Lori Lynn Barker, McDaniel’s producer at KOA radio and also a friend. “He would just randomly start talking to people.”
Sometimes, McDaniel would stand at the entrances to King Soopers and greet people, like the greeters hired at Wal-Mart stores, Mbaruk said.
He was also well-known for his colorful suits in purples, pinks and blue, always with color-coordinated shoes.
Mbaruk said McDaniel’s favorite suit was one that he got “kind of on accident.”
“He was asking me what to wear. I told him to wear red and black, thinking a black suit with red shirt,” Mbaruk said. “Well, my dad went and bought a red suit, red shoes, red everything. We just laughed.”
Barker said when another friend visited McDaniel two days ago, he was in good spirits.
“Reggie told her, ‘I’ve beaten the odds before, I’ll beat this one too,’ ” Barker said.
Doctors told Mbaruk that McDaniel didn’t want more medical procedures done, he just “wanted to go to the movies.”
Before his radio career, McDaniel had an Army career that took him to Vietnam, Panama and the Persian Gulf War. He retired in 1992 as head of the Anatomical Pathology Lab at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora.
Services for McDaniel will be held Saturday at My Father’s House, 14700 E. Mississippi Ave., in Aurora.
McDaniel also leaves behind two granddaughters, ages 10 and 14, who he loved and will miss him, said Mbaruk.
Even though McDaniel had left KOA radio in 2008, he still often visited the station, Barker said, and co-workers will miss him.
“He always hugged everyone here,” Barker said. “That’s probably the thing we’ll miss the most, the hugs and the laughter.”
Yesenia Robles: yrobles@denverpost.com
