Langley Patterson, Jazz Disc Jockey, Found Slain

Disc jockey Langley Patterson, the host of a popular weeknight jazz show on KLON-FM in Long Beach, was found stabbed to death in South-Central Los Angeles, the victim of an apparent robbery attempt, police said Wednesday.

The body of the 35-year-old radio personality was discovered Tuesday morning by an area resident in a parking lot in the 7400 block of South Western Avenue, 77th Street Division homicide Detective Paul Mize said.

“We could not find any identification on him at the scene, leading us to speculate that he was the victim of a robbery,” Mize said.

An autopsy disclosed that Patterson died of multiple stab wounds to the head and neck, a coroner’s spokesman said.

Patterson had worked for various Los Angeles radio stations during the past dozen years. He had been employed by KLON for just over two years, according to the station’s general manager, David Creagh.

“His show was very popular,” Creagh said. “The 7 to 8 p.m. segment was the most listened to jazz hour the station ever had.”

Creagh described Patterson as a jazz purist. He said the disc jockey repeatedly told him that working at KLON “was the perfect job, because we left him alone and let him play what he wanted.”

“He told me that all he really wanted was a job in radio, where he could play the real straight-ahead jazz without having to play the commercial stuff. He was truly a leader in his programming.

“He was also the father of two children. We used to trade little-girls stories. We can’t believe this has happened. There was never a more hard-working or generous person . . . .”

Tony Jones, a former disc jockey who worked with Patterson at KJLH-FM, said the slain disc jockey was very serious about jazz and loved the music.

“His death was a senseless crime,” Jones said. “The person who murdered him did music an injustice.”

Patterson “always gave the best he had to give,” added KKGO-FM disc jockey Jim Gosa, who worked with Patterson in the early 1970s. “That’s what I always liked about him. He was a professional who had a good attitude about the music. . . .”

Police said investigators were unable to find Patterson’s burgundy 1983 Datsun in the immediate vicinity where his body was found. They believe the car, bearing California license plate 1HVW658, was stolen.

Left in Car

Patterson, who lived in an unincorporated county area about two miles from where his body was found, left home in the car on Monday, his wife told police.

“He left the station at about 11 p.m. Monday and was killed sometime between then and when he was found at 7:25 a.m. Tuesday,” Mize said.

Funeral arrangements were pending.