PHILADELPHIA — Jerry Blavat, the legendary disc jockey known as “The Geator with the Heater” and “The Boss with the Hot Sauce,” has died, Action News has learned. He was 82.
He died Friday at 3:45 a.m. in the Jefferson-Methodist Hospital hospice of complications from myasthenia gravis and related health problems.
He is survived by four daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and his longtime partner Keely Stahl.
Blavat recently suffered from medical issues related to a shoulder injury and had to cancel an upcoming show at the Kimmel Cultural Campus due to health reasons, according to his website.
Born in South Philadelphia to a Jewish father and Italian mother, music ran through his veins from an early age. “The Geator” was widely known as one of the early rock and roll DJs who revolutionized the profession and created the “oldies” format.
Blavat has appeared in several television shows and films, including The Monkees, Desperately Seeking Susan, Baby, It’s You, and Cookie.
In 1953, at the age of 13, he debuted on the original bandstand. The producers of the Channel 6 show in Philly realized their popular dancer was under the age limit but let him stay to help pick records.
Years later he hosted The Discophonic Scene, a dance show that featured some of the biggest stars of the era.
Blavat’s enthusiasm, talent and natural knack for knowing what would resonate with teenagers led first to a syndicated radio show and then a television show in the 1960s.
For decades he entertained crowds with shows throughout the Philadelphia area and spent his summers down on the coast where he owned the popular Memories in Margate dance club.
It was a career that led to many friendships with great entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr., Don Rickles and even Frank Sinatra.
“Everyone was there. My mom cooked for (Frank) Sinatra there. She also cooked for Sammy Davis Jr. there. Chuck Berry performed there,” Blavat said of Memories in a 2022 interview with the New Jersey Stage.
With his famous nicknames “The Geator with the Heater” and “The Boss with the Hot Sauce,” he hosted countless dances and helped break up many acts, including the Four Seasons and the Isley Brothers, and also promoted Philadelphia artists like Bobby Rydell .
He was a regular performer at the Italian American Parade in Philadelphia and was a guest at 6abc’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for many years.
In 1993, Blavat was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Hall of Fame. You can find his name on the Walk of Fame along Avenue of the Arts in Center City.
Since 1998 he has been a permanent member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; In 2002 he was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame.
When asked about his career as a disc jockey and his rise to fame, Blavat told the New Jersey Stage, “So my life has been about wonderful people. And when it ends tomorrow, I won’t regret it, because I made people happy, and by making people happy, it filled my life.”
Blavat never wanted to stop sharing his love of music and Philadelphia.
No matter what, this beat will always pulse through the veins of this city with the vibrancy and panache that only The Hot Sauce Boss could impart.
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This story has been updated to show that Jerry Blavat is part of a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but was not an initiate.
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