Mark Sandman Died 25 Years Ago. I Was On-Air When It Happened
When Mark Sandman died suddenly in July of 1999, I just happened to be on the radio. It’s the saddest story, but it’s also a little funny.
Mark Sandman, of course, was best known as the enigmatic frontman of the legendary Cambridge rock trio Morphine. He also played in Boston blues-rock outfit Treat Her Right and founded Cambridge label and recording studio Hi-n-Dry.
Sandman was a giant on the local scene in the ’90s. I was in high school when I first heard Morphine on WFNX. They immediately became by favorite band. By the end of the decade, I was working at FNX and playing their songs. What a trip, right?
Mark Sandman Died on July 3, 1999
In 1999, the 3rd of July fell on a Saturday. I was hosting the midday shift at FNX. I don’t remember how I got the news–maybe via the AP Newswire, maybe surfing the nascent internet–but the story broke that Mark Sandman had passed away.
Morphine was performing in Palestrina in Italy. Temperatures had soared to 99 degrees. Sandman collapsed and died of a heart attack; he was only 46. I was devastated. I gathered my wits, gathered some Morphine music, broke format, and broke the news to my listeners.
Mark Sandman Died; Mark Sandman Lives On
Here’s the funny part. Shortly after starting my Morphine marathon, the studio hotline rang. It was my Program Director on his car phone. FOX 25 News was en route to FNX to interview him about Sandman passing. I was to stall them until he arrived.
Yeah, I didn’t do that.
When the camera crew showed up, I did the TV hit. I talked about Morphine and Sandman, his legacy on FNX and in Boston. When my boss arrived–sweaty, disheveled–I fibbed and said I had to go live because the news crew needed to get to their next assignment.
He wasn’t too pleased; he wanted to be on TV. But I was the fan, not him. Mark Sandman died and I was in a position to pay tribute to him properly. So I did. I have the live hit on a VHS tape somewhere. Maybe I’ll upload it to YouTube someday.