Radio Personality, Pat Cadigan Dies at Age 81

Cadigan (left)

DULUTH, Minn. – Longtime radio host, Pat Cadigan, has passed away at the age of 81.

According to his family, he died Monday morning after battling a short illness.

Charles Patrick Cadigan joined the airwaves at WEBC, WDSM, and WQMN, before joining the KDAL team in 1961. He briefly left the radio business to pursue a career in real estate in 1974.

He returned less than a decade later in 1982, to host the KDAL morning show with Rik Jordan for 26 years, until Jordan retired. He would continue to host the morning show until his death.

“Pat Cadigan was one of the all-time greats. I was his on-air partner for three-and-a-half years on KDAL radio and we had great chemistry,” stated former-co host with Cadigan, Pat Kelly, as he reflected on his friend. “he was what I admiringly referred to as a “dangerous” talent; you never knew where he was going to go with a topic, and that’s what made him so enjoyable to listen to. But he was so much more, he had great depth of knowledge of things like real estate and finance and what local businesses were doing. And, of course, his polka career with Florian Chmielewski. And he had so many great stories about the people of the Twin Ports. He was modest, but he always deserved top billing.”

Pat also hosted the popular Saturday morning “Midwest Polka Party” and performed for 13 years with the Chmielewski Fun Time Orchestra.