Alison Steele; Nighttime N.Y. Disc Jockey

Alison Steele, 58, the New York disc jockey known as the “Nightbird” for her pioneering all-night radio show. She developed a loyal following as one of the first female disc jockeys in the United States and received numerous accolades, including membership in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Through nearly three decades, she entertained late-night listeners with her sultry voice, accompanied by her dog, a French poodle named Genya, as she fielded calls. “I’m a night person,” she once said. “I think it [has] a mysterious quality. I never get lonely.” She broke into big-time radio as one of four women among 800 contestants to secure a spot on the rock station WNEW-FM, where she worked for 14 years. Her most recent show was on New York’s K-Rock, and she also worked on Cable News Network and did voice-overs for radio and television commercials. In 1976 she was the first woman to receive Billboard Magazine’s FM Personality of the Year award. On Wednesday of cancer in New York.