Keller @ Large: Remembering David Brudnoy

BOSTON (CBS) -- David Brudnoy died 10 years ago today, surrounded by loved ones. His final hours were spent listening to WBZ callers, the famous and the anonymous, take turns recalling his impact on their lives and saying goodbye.

Not a bad way to go out, all things considered, and a fitting exit for a man who lived so much of his life in a very public way. But it came way too soon.

Had he lived, David Brudnoy would be 74 today, and I'm quite sure he would be enjoying every last bit of license someone of that age gets to be outspoken and contentious.

Not that reticence was ever a problem for him. He thrived on the air because he wasn't afraid to tell it like he saw it.

That was one of the best lessons I learned about Bostonians from Brudnoy – they value honesty, and can spot a faker many miles away.

David was terrified that exposure of his sexual identity in the wake of his 1994 hospitalization for AIDS-related symptoms might ruin his standing as the city's most popular talk-show host, but he needn't have worried. The audience had long ago embraced him, oddly enough, considering he was a highbrow libertarian from Minneapolis.

Those who hadn't already figured out he was gay made it clear they didn't care.

That's the way people are around here, for the most part – seemingly cold at first, as we take your measure, but supportive beyond words once you prove you belong.

We're lucky to have outspoken minds like Dan Rea to carry on Brudnoy's legacy, but I admit, I often wonder what David would say about this or that.

But I already know the answer – the truth, as he saw it, and nothing less.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON