Kevin "Kevy Kev" Russell died this week after he was hospitalized with "a fever he couldn't get rid of," according to a post on KBDZ 93.1's Facebook page.
"About five weeks ago, it seems Kevin contracted the West Nile virus," the post reads. "He had a fever he couldn't get rid of, so, when his temperature spiked and stayed there, he was admitted to the hospital. His condition deteriorated and it became obvious after a while, he was not going to get better again."
Other posts on the station's page refer to Russell as the General Manager of KBDZ's parent company, Donze Communications. The classic rock station is based in Perryville, approximately one hour south of St. Louis.
"Kevin is one of our best friends, he talked with everyone pretty much at least once a day," KBDZ employees wrote in the social media post, calling him the "big toe" of the station.
"When talking to Kevin, you knew you would be on the phone a while, because if you asked Kevin the time, he would tell you how to build a watch," the post reads. "We all miss those conversations deeply. And wish we could have more."
Station workers did not immediately respond to a phone call from St. Louis Public Radio.
"Kevin is pretty much responsible for the great collection of jocks on the station, how good sonically the station sounded, and it was his baby," the post reads. "He would get up every morning trying to figure out how to make the station better."
His colleague Paul Brown worked with Russell to broadcast local high school football games on 101.7 F.M. in St. Charles County, KDBZ's sister station.
"The radio next to his bed played his music on his station," Brown wrote on social media about visiting Russell in the hospital. "A lot of us prayed for a miracle, stood at his bedside…His station plays on. Local radio lives on, for now."
State health officials have reported increased cases of the West Nile virus in Missouri this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 16 reported cases among Missourians in 2025 and three deaths.
Half of the confirmed cases so far this year are in the St. Louis region, state health officials said.
"We have a whole bunch of cases under investigation, " he said. "So the number will clearly go up, and the season is not over yet," said Missouri state epidemiologist George Turabelidze.
He said that in addition to the confirmed cases, there have been more than a dozen blood donors who have tested positive for the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes.
Because many people who contract West Nile don't have symptoms, they may not know they're carrying the virus until they donate blood, Turabelidze said.
"That tells you: If blood donors have it, the other people also have it," he said. "So it's an indication that there is viral circulation going on, and maybe more than usual.
Typically Missouri records about 17 cases of the West Nile Virus each year, Turabelidze said.
The region's warm fall could be contributing to the high number of cases. Mosquitoes typically die when weather becomes consistently cold or at the arrival of the first frost.
While most people don't die from West Nile or even develop serious symptoms, it can cause serious illness in some people, particularly those who are older or who have compromised immune systems, Turabelidze said.
In rare cases, the virus can cause neurological disease, including paralysis and brain swelling.
There is no treatment to cure West Nile once a person contracts the virus, Turbalidze said.
"Unfortunately, West Nile virus is one of those diseases where we have no licensed vaccine, and we have no medication that directly works against this particular virus," he said. "So your best prevention is avoiding mosquito bites. I know that sounds routine and trivial, but that's the most effective way to do it."
In addition to using mosquito repellent and wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants, people should also eliminate standing water in flower pots, old tires or other receptacles, because that's where mosquitoes lay their eggs.
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