Howard Stern 'Wack Pack' favourite Big Black dies aged 64

Ronnie Benjamin, the Bronx-born radio personality known to Howard Stern listeners as Big Black, has died aged 64.

The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office told TMZ on Friday that Benjamin died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition in which fatty plaque builds up inside the artery walls, causing them to narrow and harden. The cause is considered natural. The examiner’s office declined to say where or when he died. Page Six separately reported the death, citing TMZ.

Benjamin — whose given name was confirmed as Ronnie Benjamin by the outlet — was named to Stern’s famous “Wack Pack” in 2006 after a series of lengthy on-air interviews. Though never a regular on the show, Stern would keep him in the studio for extended interviews, fascinated by what TMZ described as his brutal honesty about his life.

He became a fan favourite alongside fellow Wack Packer Lawrence Coward, whom Stern dubbed the “King of All Blacks,” and was known for his banter with Stern’s sidekick Robin Quivers. Benjamin, born in the Bronx, attended the elite Bronx High School of Science and was a member of Mensa. In 2011 he returned to the show after a five-year absence, telling Stern he had “been hanging in my bunker in the South Bronx,” and revealed he had briefly worked security at Yankee Stadium.

A representative for Stern did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Friday evening.