Jerry Doyle (radio host)

Jerry Doyle (born July 16, 1956, in Brooklyn, New York, died July 27, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American talk radio host, conservative political commentator, and television actor. His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Jerry Doyle Show, aired throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. As an actor, Doyle is best known for his role as Michael Garibaldi in the science fiction series Babylon 5.

Early life
Doyle graduated from Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta, New Jersey, Class of 1974. He played varsity football and basketball. He was nicknamed "Master of the Mach", a reference to his canary-yellow and black Ford Mustang.

Doyle received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, while also receiving his flight training. Previously a corporate jet pilot and after a decade as a stockbroker, Doyle made an abrupt career change into acting in 1991, and Babylon 5 was his first significant role. After starring on that show, Doyle ran for public office, but lost the race and subsequently became the host of the Jerry Doyle Show. While radio was his main occupation, Doyle also stared in occasional voice acting and film roles.

Doyle was the ex-husband of actress Andrea Thompson, who played the role of telepath Talia Winters in the first two seasons of Babylon 5.

Politics
In 2000, Doyle unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in California's 24th Congressional district (Los Angeles and Ventura counties), as a Republican. He later severed his ties with the party, and declared himself an independent.

Radio show
Weekdays from 12PM-3PM PT (3PM-6PM ET), the Jerry Doyle Show aired on the Talk Radio Network, though the show aired at different times in different markets. He differed from other conservative talk show hosts, such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, in that his focus was not exclusively political, and more laid back similar to Gonzo Journalism.

On his radio show he coined the phrase "Grapefruit Mentality", defined as the ability for the public to become interested in an object or person just because the media is paying attention to it. As an example, Doyle explained if there were a segment on the news every night with a television camera pointed at a grapefruit, people will eventually travel great distances just to see the grapefruit that was on TV.

Other examples Doyle used of Grapefruit Mentality are the images of the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich and a Virgin Mary sighting under an overpass in Chicago. It can also refer to the public's fascination with celebrity court cases such as Michael Jackson and Robert Blake.

Personal life and death
Doyle was married to his Babylon 5 co-star Andrea Thompson from 1995 to 1997. They were married in Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California Sur, in a short ceremony. Doyle remarked that "If the ceremony takes longer than it takes for a margarita to separate, it's too long".

Political effortsEdit
Doyle with Congressman Ron Paul in September 2011

Following his work on Babylon 5, Doyle ran as the Republican Party candidate for seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. Doyle won the primary without spending any money on the campaign. However, in the general election on November 7, 2000, he lost to The Democratic incumbent Brad Sherman, with Sherman earning 66% of the vote, compared to Doyle's 30%, the Libertarian candidate's 3%, and the Natural Law candidate's 1%. He received only 43,000 votes. In December 2011, Doyle endorsed Ron Paul for the Presidency of the United States.

DeathEdit
On July 27, 2016, eleven days after his 60th birthday, Doyle was found unresponsive in his Las Vegas home, and declared dead shortly thereafter. The Clark County Coroner's Office later stated that Doyle died from natural causes, with complications from chronic alcoholism being a contributing factor.

His former co-stars offered their condolences, including Bruce Boxleitner, who wrote that he was "so devastated at the news of the untimely death of my good friend". Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski released a statement, saying "Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast."