After fans and listeners noticed his extended absence from the airwaves of 98.5 the family of Michael Stanley announced this week that the singer was unable to continue working due to serious health problems and asked Cleveland for its thoughts and prayers.
“It has been important to him to be on air up until recently, because you, his fans, mean that much to him,” the family said on 98.5’s Facebook page. “As of right now he is unable to continue doing that. Please keep Michael in your thoughts and prayers.”
The news is sad and the severity implied between the lines doubly so.
Stanley, more so than maybe any other local celebrity — both the born and raised and moved on to other pastures variety and those considered stars only within geographic boundaries — is a Cleveland icon, perhaps the Cleveland icon in his embodiment of some loose feeling about the city and what it’s been through. The blue-collar ethos, the music, the hometown boy made good, the local voice on the dial, the hair, the friendship, the success that so many don’t even know about because his long career was based in Cleveland.
There’s more to say, hopefully way down the line, but for now revisit Stanley in the early 1980s, when he packed the Coliseum and Blossom for sold-out shows on multinight runs. It’s the good vibe you need tonight. And some good vibes is what the legendary Michael Stanley needs as well.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 9, 2021.
