Who was Kevin Karlson married to? All about the WZLX Boston radio host as he dies aged 59 

Kevin Karlson, a cherished radio personality from WZLX-FM, has passed away at the age of 59. He spent nearly 20 years behind the mic alongside Pete McKenzie and Heather Ford as the host of the Boston radio show.

Kevin married his wife Barbara San Juan Karlson 35 years ago after he moved from Ohio to Connecticut, where they first met. They have two children together, son Christopher and daughter Katie, as per his obituary from Legacy.

100.7 WZLX shared the news of his passing on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, October 27, 2023. A team member, Chuck Nowlin, stated that the radio host died in his sleep overnight; however, the cause of death is still unknown.

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Details about Kevin Karlson's wife and family as radio host dies at 59

Kevin Karlson had a humble personality and was the highlight of thousands of 100.7 WZLX-FM listeners' morning routines, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara San Juan Karlson, and their two children, son Christopher and daughter Katie. The radio host also has a brother, James Karlson, and a sister, Rhonda Karlson, who lives in Ohio.

Kevin's extended family includes his brother-in-law Joseph (Angela) San Juan and sister-in-law Deana (Joseph) Nott from Connecticut; his puppy Stewart; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins, as per Legacy. Stewart is featured in almost all of his tweets.

Kevin Karlson was born in Akron, Ohio, on March 7, 1964. He met Barbara San Juan Karlson after he started his career as a radio host in Ohio and eventually moved to Connecticut.

In his 40 years of career, Kevin had been married to Barbara for 35 of them, right until his demise. They traveled to many cities nationwide, while Karlson developed his craft of entertainment radio with his co-host Pete McKenzie, according to Boston.com.

Barbara was the subject of many awkward on-air skits on 100.7 WZLX-FM but was always supportive of her husband's work. According to Legacy, he loved cruising with her to tropical locations and going to the casino.

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WZLX breaks the news of Kevin Karlson's death

Kevin Karlson was a longtime morning show host on Boston classic rock radio station 100.7 WZLX-FM.

As per CBS, the Medford-based station gave a statement on X on October 27, 2023, saying:

"It is with great sadness that 100.7 WZLX shares news of the unexpected passing of our friend, Kevin Karlson. For almost 20 years, Kevin helped wake up Boston with humor and classic rock. We invite you to share your memories of Kevin as we celebrate his life."

The radio station then encouraged listeners to call in and share their interactions and memories with Kevin Karlson.

They concluded:

"From all of us at WZLX — Rock in peace, Kevin."

Karlson had been a co-host of WZLX’s morning show since 2005. The other hosts of the radio show are Pete McKenzie, Heather Ford, and, since 2019, producer Kenny Young.

Karlson, McKenzie, and Ford used to host the morning show for WPDH-FM in New York but soon shifted to WZLX as a unit in 2005.

Although the radio did not specify the circumstances of his death, Chuck Nolin, the afternoon radio host at WZLX, posted on X the same day, saying:

"Our ZLX family is in a state of shock right now. Our radio brother, Kevin Karlson, passed away in his sleep last night. Rest in peace big man…"

As per WCVB, Nowlin also expressed that the station was devastated by the news of Karlson's death; however, they are taking comfort from all of the people who have called the station to honor Karlson's memory.