James “Radio” Kennedy, The Inspiration For The Film “Radio,” Died Sunday Morning

James “Radio” Kennedy, The Inspiration For The Film “Radio,” Died Sunday Morning

On Sunday morning, December 15, 2019, the inspiration for the 2003 film “Radio” James “Radio” Kennedy passed away.  Live 5 News, reported that “T.L. Hanna High School legend James “Radio” Kennedy died early Sunday morning, his niece and caregiver, Jackie Kennedy, said. Radio, 73, was taken to Hospice of the Upstate in Anderson County Saturday afternoon, she said.”

The basis of the 2003 movie “Radio” was the friendship between former T.L. Hanna football coach Harold Jones and James “Radio” Kennedy, which starred Cuba Gooding Jr.  I have watched this movie a dozen times and was always moved by the friendship.  According to the Independent Mail, “for decades, he'd been an unofficial 11th-grader at T.L. Hanna High School, where he kept vigil since 1965. Once a quiet student, he became one of Anderson's most famous resident.

ESPN noted that “the school unveiled a bronze life-sized statue of Kennedy at its football stadium in 2006. He was inducted into the T.L. Hanna Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.  "He's an icon as far as we're concerned," Jones said. "He's been loved all over -- not just in Anderson and the state but all over the country."

Rest In Peace "Radio"