{actor} So, so sad we lost another great Boston character this week, Tom Magliozzi, aka Click or Clack, from Car Talk on NPR radio. If you don't know them, please go to CarTalk.com and listen and laugh in Tom's honor.


Tom Magliozzi
June 28, 1937 - November 3, 2014


WBUR has been the proud home of Car Talk for more than 35 years -- and we are sad...{actor} So, so sad we lost another great Boston character this week, Tom Magliozzi, aka Click or Clack, from Car Talk on NPR radio. If you don't know them, please go to CarTalk.com and listen and laugh in Tom's honor.


Tom Magliozzi
June 28, 1937 - November 3, 2014


WBUR has been the proud home of Car Talk for more than 35 years -- and we are sad to share the news that Car Talk co-host, friend and colleague Tom Magliozzi passed away this morning due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Genius comes in many forms and we know that Tom's came in the form of laughter. Everyone who loves Car Talk starts with the same question, "Which one has the laugh?" That was Tommy. He was the definition of self-deprecation as he made fun of everyone, first and foremost himself. He was smart and wise and funny...an unbeatable combination.

The legacy began when WBUR invited six local mechanics to come in and take listeners' questions about cars. Only one showed up: Tom Magliozzi. The next week, he came back with his little brother and fellow mechanic, Ray. For the next 10 years, the brothers did the show locally here at WBUR, on a volunteer basis. Their combination of hilarious, self-deprecating banter and trustworthy advice was picked up by NPR in 1987, and Car Talk soon became the network's most popular entertainment program ever, reaching audiences of more than four million people a week.

Car Talk is a show about cars, and it's a show about life, love, relationships, families and everything in between. Tom and Ray taught America a lot about itself, and they taught public radio a lot too. Before Car Talk, laughter was a rare commodity on public radio. Tom and Ray liberated us, and everyone who listened to them. We had permission to laugh at ourselves.

Tom was a genuine original with his unapologetic Boston accent. He was from this place, of this town, and a true believer in "our fair city." It is said that 'everyone is replaceable.' Not Tom Magliozzi.

I'm sure you'll join me in keeping Tom's brother and co-host, Ray, and all of his loved ones in our thoughts today. Show more