Table of Biography
Early Life
Arthur William Bell III, aka Art Bell, was born on June 17, 1945, in Camp Lejune, North Carolina, in the United States of America.
Unfortunately, he was 72 years old when he passed away. Moreover, his zodiac sign is Gemini, and is a citizen of America.
He was the son of Arthur William Bell Jr (father) and Jane Lee Gumaer Bell (mother). He was fascinated with radio as a youngster.
At the age of 13, he received his amateur radio operator’s license and used the call sign ‘KN3JOX’.
He changed his call sign to ‘K3JOX’ and eventually qualified for an ‘Amateur Extra Class license, which is the highest level of an amateur license issued by the ‘US Federation of Communications Commission.
Caption: Art Bell posing for a photo (Source: WIRED)
Talking about his academic qualifications, he went to the ‘University of Maryland’ to study engineering but dropped out to work as a board operator.
To gain experience, he often worked both behind and in front of the microphone. Working at the radio studio, he claimed, had taught him far more than the university could have taught him.
Death
He started having health difficulties when he was 70 years old, and in 2016 he had a terrible case of pneumonia. He died on April 13, 2018, at the age of 72, at his residence in Pahrump, Nevada.
Relationship Status
Art Bella’s relationship has married four times throughout his life. He married Sachiko Toguchi Pontius in 1965 and had two children with her.
However, only three years later, in 1968, the couple divorced. In March 1981, he married Vickie L Baker, with whom he had a son.
But, like the last marriage, this one did not survive long, and the couple divorced in 1991. Then, in August 1991, he married Ramona Lee Hayes for the third time.
He stayed with her until she died of severe asthma when the pair was on holiday in January 2006.
After the loss of his third wife, he surprised everyone by going to the Philippines in 2006 and married Airyn Ruiz, who was just 21 at the time.
He also had a health issue, so he returned to America, but his wife had trouble obtaining a visa.
He was with his final wife, Airyn, and the children they shared till the end of his life. Arthur William Bell, Asia Rayne Bell, Lisa Minei Bell, and Vincent Pontius Bell are his children’s names.
Professional career
During the Vietnam War, Art Bell served as a physician in the ‘US Air Force,’ where he and a friend ran an illegal pirate radio station from ‘Amarillo Air Force Base,’
broadcasting anti-war songs. He traveled to Japan after the war, where he worked as a DJ for ‘KSBK,’ the only civil English broadcasting station at the time. In the 1970s, he went to the United States and worked for ‘KIDD’ in Monterey, California.
Caption: Art Bell authored the book The Art of Talk (Source: AbeBooks)
He began his career as a rock music DJ before moving on to host radio discussion shows.
With his talk program ‘Dreamland,’ he progressed from regular political issues to more contentious topics like gunrunning, the occult, UFOs, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and protoscience.
He created the Pahrump-based radio station ‘KNYE 95.1 FM,’ which featured a broadcasting studio and transmitter near his home in Nye County, Nevada.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, his show Coast to Coast AM, produced in his studio, became one of the most popular radio shows. It was broadcast on over 500 stations and listened to by over 15 million people.
Because he hosted live question-and-answer sessions on his show, he gained credibility. He learned the art of being a patient listener and then providing objective responses.
In October 2006, he aired his show from the Philippines, and that was the only time he screened questions. He interviewed singers, authors, actors, DJs, and comedians.
More than that, he interviewed famous names such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Greg Bear, Chris Carter, Dan Aykroyd, Casey Kasem, and George Carlin over his distinguished career.
His presentations received good reviews since they were laid-back while yet discussing important and timely subjects.
More Works
Due to danger to his family, Bell abruptly retired from his show Coast to Coast AM in October 1998. In February 2001, he returned to the show but refused to discuss his personal life.
Due to medical issues, he left the regular show in October 2002 and began hosting just weekend episodes. George Noory took over as the show’s daily host in January 2003, replacing him.
In September 2013, he launched a new night show on Sirius XM’s “Indie Talk Channel” called “Art Bell’s Dark Matter.” The show aired for a total of six weeks.
He launched the show Midnight in the Desert in July 2015, which was available online through “TuneIn”.
Art Bell – Awards
He has received several awards and recognitions in his professional career. In 1998, the ‘Council for Media Integrity of the ‘Committee for Sceptical Inquiry gave him the ‘Snuffed Candle Award’.
Moreover, his name was inducted into ‘The Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in August 2006.
In 2007, he was awarded a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the trade publication ‘Radio & Records. He was listed in the ‘National Radio Hall of Fame in 2008.
Art Bell – Net Worth 2024
He had a very successful career. According to some online sources, his net worth was around $10 million during his death. He made the earnings as an author and broadcaster.
Body Measurement
Art has white hair and brown eyes. Besides that, there is no information regarding his height, weight, and other body measurements.
Social Media
The broadcaster is no more and is not active on social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.