See photos of longtime WMMR host Pierre Robert from around his career
Robert was part of the Philadelphia radio world for more than 40 years. He died Wednesday at his home in Gladwyne. He was 70.
Pierre Robert, one of the most recognizable names in Philadelphia rock jock history, will be remembered for his insatiable love for the city.
“One of the great things about this city is it’s so warm,” he told Inquirer music critic Dan DeLuca last year. “It’s like a small town, even though it’s such a big city. ... If people in Philadelphia like you, and they believe you to be real, you got a shot. And if you’re not real, they pick it up pretty quickly and you’re invited to pack your bag!”
Robert never left the station he first interviewed for in 1981, and his enthusiasm for the greats of the genre he played was only matched by his dedication to highlighting the underdogs. For nearly the last half-century, Robert could be seen — always with shoulder-length hair and a symmetrical silver stripe in the middle of his beard — arm-in-arm with Elton John, Mick Jagger, and Bon Jovi, but also ushering high school students through the studios of WMMR. Every person had something special to give.
In 2019, Robert was inducted into Philadelphia’s Music Walk of Fame for his decades of work uplifting the city’s music scene. A year before his death, he renewed his contract at WMMR for another four years.
As the city and the nation, including Jon Bon Jovi, mourn a legendary icon’s death, look back at photos of Robert as seen in The Inquirer.