lit a candle 8h agoUsed to have KRBE streaming in the background every morning while I got ready for school, my cousin in Houston got me into it on a visit years ago. Just heard about YoJ, 57 is no age at all.
Their story
Jerome Ronquillo, known to Houston radio listeners simply as YoJ, was a radio personality who spent more than three decades at 104.1 KRBE, one of the city's best known Top 40 stations. He joined KRBE in 1994 and became a familiar voice across Greater Houston through on-air shifts, live broadcasts…
Jerome Ronquillo, known to Houston radio listeners simply as YoJ, was a radio personality who spent more than three decades at 104.1 KRBE, one of the city's best known Top 40 stations. He joined KRBE in 1994 and became a familiar voice across Greater Houston through on-air shifts, live broadcasts from nightclubs and the commercials he voiced for local businesses. He died on 29 October 2026 at the age of 57, ten months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Ronquillo was born on 10 July 1969. He built his career almost entirely at KRBE, where colleagues knew him for quick one-line jokes, an infectious laugh and a gift for turning ordinary moments into entertainment. Away from the microphone he was a devoted fan of University of Houston sports, especially the Cougars, and was known among friends for his cooking, above all his smoked ribs. Listeners who grew up with the station remembered meeting him at public appearances, including at Memorial City Mall.
Comedy was a second love. Ronquillo had performed stand-up in the 1990s, and after his diagnosis he set out to complete items on what he called his bucket list. One was to perform at the Houston Improv, a far larger venue than any he had played before. He later said the show sold out. In September 2026 the Houston mayor's office issued a proclamation declaring 17 September YoJ Day in his honour.
He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 1 January 2026 and underwent chemotherapy and other treatment. In March his friend of 32 years, former KRBE personality Paul "Cubby" Bryant, started a GoFundMe to help Ronquillo and his wife, Maggie, with medical and travel costs. In a Facebook post on 22 September he wrote that he had "no choice to make the most of my remaining time. However long God sees fit."
KRBE announced his death on 30 October, calling him "one of the most spectacular, charismatic, and hilarious people that walked our radio station hallways." The station did not formally state a cause of death. Tributes came from colleagues, former co-hosts and listeners who had followed him since the late 1990s, many of them sharing what KRBE called their own "YoJ Moment".
Biography adapted from Houston Chronicle, mikemcguff.com, On The Dial and KRBE statement.
In their own words
“I had no choice to make the most of my remaining time. However long God sees fit.”
Facebook post, 22 September 2026
Photos
1by People Forever
same, my aunt in Katy played his show every single morning