Some very sad news is coming from the Ground Zero family.
Rumors of the passing of longtime Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis Executive Producer Ron Patton began circulating across social media today. Sadly, Ground Zero has now officially confirmed that Patton passed away peacefully following a short battle with cancer.
For those of us who have listened to Ground Zero over the years, Ron Patton may have primarily been known as the man behind the scenes alongside Clyde Lewis. But his career and his importance to independent media went much further.
Patton spent more than three decades working in independent media as a publisher, writer, researcher, editor and producer. Among his many projects, he published Endure to the End, created MKzine, produced ConspiraZine Radio, and became publisher of Paranoia Magazine.
But perhaps his most notable and lasting role was as Executive Producer of Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis.
And according to Ground Zero’s remembrance of him, Ron wasn’t simply Clyde’s producer or colleague.
He was also Clyde Lewis’s best friend.
Their friendship became intertwined with the history of Ground Zero itself. There were times when the program’s future was uncertain and walking away might have been the easier option. Ron was apparently one of the people who refused to let that happen. He continued developing ideas, searching for ways to keep the program alive and, perhaps most importantly, continued believing in Clyde and what Ground Zero meant to its listeners.
Many listeners probably never realized just how much of the program they heard night after night had Ron Patton’s fingerprints on it.
The news is especially heartbreaking considering everything the Ground Zero family has already been enduring. Clyde Lewis has been dealing with his own serious health struggles and continues attempting to recover. Now, in the midst of that battle, he has lost not only his longtime Executive Producer but one of his closest friends.
Ron had also been fighting his own serious health problems. For months, supporters rallied around him and his family, including through a GoFundMe established to help with his medical expenses. More recently, his family announced that he had entered hospice care.
There are people behind every long-running radio program whose voices we may rarely hear and whose faces we may not immediately recognize, but without them the program simply wouldn’t be what it is.
Our thoughts are with Ron Patton’s family, Clyde Lewis, the entire Ground Zero team and everyone who knew and loved him.
May Ron Patton rest in peace, and may his family and friends find comfort in knowing that the work he spent decades creating will continue to be heard and remembered.
Rest in peace..
