THIS ARTICLE IS BEING POSTED BY OUR FRIENDS AT THE HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. TIMES-NEWS
By Dean Hensley, Times-News staff writer
For decades, a distinctive, powerful deep voice boomed across the airwaves of WHKP, delivering the news to Henderson County.
On Thursday afternoon, that voice was silenced. WHKP’s News Director and former Mills River Mayor Larry Freeman passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.
Freeman had just celebrated his birthday April 7.
WHKP President Art Cooley said Freeman always had such a distinctive voice that he could’ve easily worked for big-city stations.
“I always used to say that Larry was a big-time network-quality announcer. He had a voice that everyone knew,” Cooley said. “He was one of the all-time best news readers. He was like the Walter Cronkite of our area.”
Cooley said Kermit Edney, the former owner of WHKP, hired Freeman when he was still in high school.
“Larry was a student at Hendersonville High School and he came aboard as an intern. He was probably one of the recruits that Kermit worked the most with over the years. Larry didn’t have much talent back then, but Kermit taught him how to vocalize and become a great announcer,” Cooley said.
Freeman left Hendersonville to work with TV stations WLOS and then WSPA in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He left the broadcasting business for some time to work as a funeral director and then later on for the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was when he was working as an investigator with the Sheriff’s Department that he was severely injured in a car crash. He was riding with an SBI agent as they were chasing a criminal, and their car overturned on North Main Street. They were lucky to get out of the crash alive,” Cooley said.
That left Freeman partially paralyzed and he had to use a walker to get around. He came back to work at the radio station and then tried his hand at politics, becoming mayor in 2013.
He continued his work with WHKP until his passing, Cooley said. He provided news commentaries and also content for the WHKP.com website.
Those who worked alongside him will always remember his strong news sense and leadership.
“Larry was an integral part of WHKP,” Vice President Richard Rhodes said. “He was not only a big voice on the radio, but he was a big voice in our community. He was the Mills River mayor and he also served on the Pardee Board of Directors. He was a good fellow, and we’re going to miss him.”
Afternoon host Tyler Sams spent many nights with Freeman at the broadcast house. Sams broke the news about Freeman’s passing on Facebook Thursday.
“Larry Freeman stepped into his eternal home earlier this afternoon,” Sams said in the post. “This great man was not only a phenomenal broadcaster, but a friend, mentor, and a true example of perseverance in the industry. He will be forever missed.”
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
