Radio Star Dies On Stage In Las Vegas

Scotty O'Neil, a radio personality in Las Vegas died during a performance today at the South Point, while taping the Dennis Bono Show.
From the Las Vegas Sun: Radio personality Scotty O’Neil, for more than a decade the popular sidekick and announcer on the “The Dennis Bono Show,” collapsed suddenly and died onstage during a taping of Bono’s show at South Point Showroom. He was 69.
Lorraine Hunt-Bono, Dennis Bono’s wife and owner of Bootlegger Bistro, confirmed that O’Neil died this afternoon. No official cause of death has yet been determined. O’Neil is survived by his wife of 15 years, Kristy Killian.
In a statement released this evening, Dennis Bono said:
"I am sad to announce the passing of my dear friend and co-host Scotty O’Neil. Scotty was an important part of my life as both a personal friend and a working partner. For over eleven years, he has been a pivotal part of The Dennis Bono Show. Scotty was a very talented consummate professional and a man of great integrity and character. Scotty passed onstage doing what he loved. We are devastated at his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. Scotty's voice will continue to be heard over the airways as the voice of The Dennis Bono Show. I will always miss my sidekick."
After a routine start to today’s broadcast, O’Neil fell from the interview couch to the floor during a commercial break while he was talking to guest Corrie Sachs, who portrays Reba McEntire in “Country Superstars Tribute” at the Golden Nugget. The tragedy unfolded 15 minutes into the show. Paramedics’ efforts to revive O’Neil onstage were unsuccessful, and he was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena Campus....
After Sachs finished her first number, she joined the host and sidekick on the couch, and the show went to commercial.
“Corrie said Scotty just got this expression on his face, his eyes rolled up, and he just looked very peaceful,” Hunt-Bono said. “Everyone thought he’d fainted. Even Dennis thought he might have been doing it as a joke, a comedy bit. Everyone was just in shock. The audience stood up, and one of the audience members was a nurse, and she came up and started trying to find his pulse, but he had stopped breathing.”
O’Neil never regained consciousness.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2011/mar/24/popular-radio-personality-scotty-oneil-collapses-d/
I've listen to the show many, many times over the past couple of years. It's geared to the older audience and Scotty O'Neil was the perfect side kick to Dennis Bono. The show would have some of the older stars on the strip come and perform for a segment or two. They just started their show at the South Point after spending many seasons at Sams Town.
it's sad to see him go and sad that the audience had to see it. But the guy has been in show business for decades and he went out in doing something he loved.
It will be interesting to see how the show continues or how they will play today's show when it airs later this week. It is heard on 720, KDWN at 11:00 PM on Friday and 8:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. http://www.dennisbono.com/p4lvnow.htm