For over three decades, Atlanta radio morning man Steve McCoy woke us up and made us laugh, even on the mornings we sat idling behind jack knifed tractor-trailers on Spaghetti Junction on the way to work. McCoy’s voice welcomed visitors from around the globe during the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympics, introduced an impromptu in-studio morning show concert with Sir Elton John shortly after the knight became a Buckhead condo owner and got himself into the AJC’s Peach Buzz column almost annually for pulling crazy pranks on listeners each April Fool’s Day.

Now McCoy, who was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008, needs Atlanta’s help.

When word got out, Vikki Locke, McCoy’s longtime radio partner, friend and the other half of the 18-year Star 94 Steve and Vikki in the Morning show morning radio mainstay, was a phone call away and ready to spring into action.

Locke is helping to organize Stand-Up for Steve McCoy Against Parkinson’s, a fundraiser for her old pal at the Punchline Comedy Club on Sunday, August 27.

“Steve was diagnosed in 2008,” Locke tells Eldredge ATL. “I’ve learned a lot about Parkinson’s since then. It’s more than just tremors. It’s a thief. In Steve’s case, his voice has been stolen. Hard to believe, this radio legend can no longer tell me corny jokes and I really miss that.”

As anyone who has watched a loved one go through the later stages of Parkinson’s, the long-term effects are increasingly debilitating. McCoy is now 15 years into his battle with the progressive nervous system disorder.

Additionally, on Sunday, family friend and Atlanta journalist Jaye Watson launched a Go Fund Me for McCoy and his family so far-flung friends and fans who can’t attend the August 27 Atlanta fundraiser can help. The link to the page is here.

Of McCoy’s current situation, Locke says, “Assisted living is no longer an option and being a caregiver is harder than most people realize. Paying for full time care and his meds is taking its toll on his family and I felt like a fundraiser would help in some small way. Jamie Bendall and Marcey Guthrie at the Punchline didn’t hesitate when I brought up the idea.”

In a conversation with Eldredge ATL Thursday, McCoy’s wife Linda Terrana said she and the family are grateful to Locke, the Punchline and longtime listeners for helping. “Steve made a good living for many years but what people perhaps don’t know is the long-term financial drain this insidious disease has on the finances of families,” said Terrana. “Steve has been battling Parkinson’s now for 15 years. Ultimately, it’s not a fight you can win. In addition to the toll this takes on patients and families, it’s a financially draining and debilitating disease. There’s caretakers, equipment you need to buy, medication, assisted living facilities. This is such a prevalent disease and so many families fight this battle in private. We’re grateful for the help. For years and years whenever there was a need, Vikki and Steve were there, doing the fundraising. It’s extremely touching to know that listeners in the city that Steve loves want to help him now in this time of need.”

Terrana says she hopes to be able to share proceeds with both the local Parkinson’s nonprofits McCoy worked with and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Local radio listeners were first introduced to McCoy in 1981 when he landed in Atlanta at Z-93. He then met Locke while working together at Power 99 in 1987. But it was on Star 94, from 1990 to 2007, where McCoy and Locke created an Atlanta morning show juggernaut for nearly two decades, interviewing all the A-list celebrities coming through town, including Madonna, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts (who once confessed to McCoy she listened to him as she was blowdrying her hair getting ready to go to high school!) while sitting atop the ratings. From 2008 to 2010, the pair did a two-year encore as the morning team at B-98.5 FM on WSB-FM. In 2009, McCoy and Locke were inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.

Beginning in 2014, McCoy and Locke reunited again with their old Star 94 morning show pal Tom Sullivan recording a weekly podcast for listeners in McCoy’s state-of-the-art home studio, recreating the fun of the old morning show on the new streaming platform. McCoy also started a podcast dedicated to Parkinson’s Disease. He was also named as a state ambassador for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Quipped McCoy at the time: “I first interviewed Michael J. Fox in the 90’s. Who knew one day I’d be working for him?” In 2016, as a Parkinson’s advocate, McCoy went to Capitol Hill to talk to lawmakers, including then-U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue about the need for more Parkinson’s research money.

Says Locke: “Steve McCoy spent most of his career entertaining Atlanta and giving back to the community. He touched a lot of lives. We’re going to show him some love and appreciation on August 27.”

Stand-up for Steve McCoy Against Parkinson’s will be held Sunday, August 27 at the Punchline Comedy Club, 3652 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $75. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit www.punchline.com.

To help out the family via the McCoy Go Fund Me, click here.

Above photo of Steve McCoy and Michael J. Fox during a 1990s interview at Star 94 courtesy of Vikki Locke

Richard L. Eldredge

Richard L. Eldredge is the founder and editor in chief of Eldredge ATL. As a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta magazine, he has covered Atlanta since 1990.

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