YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A voice that became part of the lives of many who grew up in the Valley has fallen silent.

Dick Thompson, who was heard over WHOT and WSOM, died this week at the age of 89.

According to our print partner The Vindicator, Thompson was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania in 1928.

He began hosting a show on WKRZ in Oil City while he was still a senior in high school

Thompson worked at Armed Forces Radio while serving in the U.S. Army in Seoul, South Korea.

After enrolling at Grove City College, Thompson was recalled into the Army in 1950 and was sent back to Korea.

He returned to the airwaves at WKRZ in 1952, later moving to San Diego where he worked at KSON-AM, becoming the program director.

It was in California that Thompson met his future wife, Sherry, and worked with Regis Philbin who was a newscaster at KSON.

Thompson also worked at stations in Erie, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio before moving to WHOT in 1958 where he worked until his retirement after 35 years.

He came out of retirement in 1995 to go on the air at WSOM until retiring in 2007.

In 2003, Thompson was inducted into the Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

A memorial service for Dick Thompson is being planned in the future.