Longtime Dayton DJ found dead in his apartment

The neighbor went into the apartment Sunday and found the former night DJ for 104.7 WTUE dead on the couch.

Police said Phillips, 58, was slouched in a sitting position. His body was in a state of decomposition, according to the report.

Phillips was a popular WTUE DJ in the 1980s and 1990s and worked in sales for Clear Channel. Before WTUE, he worked at WAZU in Springfield as Marshall Amp.

Friends and former co-workers expressed their sorrow Monday.

Chris Geisen, former co-host of WTUE’s Kerrigan & Christopher Morning Show, said he always enjoyed the time he spent with Phillips on and off the air.

“Marshall was a good friend and a Dayton radio icon. His unique voice filled Dayton radio airwaves at night and his friendliness filled our hearts as well,” Geisen said. “He was a big part of my radio career and will remain in the hearts and minds of Dayton rock radio listeners for a long time.”

Miami County Coroner Steve Huffman ruled the death to be from natural causes, according to the police report.

Phillips is survived by his sister Lisa Phillips.

His father Marshall A. Phillips died on Sept. 6, 2009. His mother died Dec. 10, 2006.

Phillips’ cat was found in the apartment and was euthanized by the Miami County Animal Shelter, according to a police report.

Animal control officer Debbie Hale said the cat was agitated by the commotion in the apartment and there were no relatives to take it.

Phillips attended Ohio State University and Dayton’s Meadowdale High School.

Kel Adkins dated Phillips in the 1990s and remained friends.

Phillips, whose birthday was Sept. 30, had struggled with liver and other health issues in recent years, she said.

Adkins said she will always remember Phillips’ velvet voice and smarts.

“He was always funny. He had that infectious laugh,” Adkins aid. “He inspired people to be better.”

The Miamisburg resident said being a DJ was Phillips’ God-given talent, but his passion was politics.

She called him the Democratic version of “Family Ties” character Alex P. Keaton. Phillips worked for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign and dreamed of working for the C-SPAN network.

“He was always looking out for the common person, but he also knew there was a business side,” Adkins said. “Politics was his life. He sat and watched C-SPAN every day.”

Current WTUE radio personality John “Bman” Beaulieu called Phillips a cohort and friend during their days together at WTUE in the ’80s and ’90s.

He fondly remembered Phillips as the charismatic, talented, intelligent and fun “epitome” of the cool night radio guy.

"We loved the way he said W-TUE," Beaulieu said. "He's the one that taught me how to drink Scotch."

Beaulieu said Phillips’ death has caused him to reflect on life and old friendships.

“You think about giving someone a call, and they are not there anymore,” he said.