Who was Jed the Fish Gould and what happened to him? All we know about iconic KROQ DJ as he dies at 69

Edwin Jed Fish Gould III, better known as Jed the Fish, passed away on Monday morning at his LA home. The iconic radio DJ, who would have turned 70 in July, was battling lung cancer, according to Variety.

A post from the veteran radio DJ’s Instagram account confirmed the news of his death. It reads,

“At 6am on April 14, 2025, the world lost one of its most unique and brilliant personalities. Jed the Fish passed away in his beloved home, and the world will never be the same. RIP Jed, go be with Alice."

Jed was known for his time at KROQ-FM from the late ‘70s to the early 2010s. The DJ was well-known as the host of the afternoon drive segment at the radio station. Jed the Fish has been credited with supporting “new wave music.” He worked at KROQ from 1978 to 1984 and from 1985 to 2012.

According to his website, Gould was credited for being among the first DJs to play Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and plenty more. Jed the Fish also conducted on-air interviews with alternative acts like Sting, Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, David Bowie, and more.

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Jed the Fish started his career on radio in the early ‘70s

Edwin Fish Gould III was born in Orange County, California, in July 1955. Around 16, he earned his First Class Radiotelephone Operator License before graduating from USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. Jed spent the majority of his career at KROQ-FM, but he also had brief stints at KIQQ, KEZY, and KORG before joining the Pasadena-based station in 1978.

In 1984, Jed the Fish relocated to San Francisco to work at Modern Rock KQAK and AOR KRQR-San Francisco but returned to KROQ the following year. While working at the Pasadena-based radio station, Gould won awards like “Billboard Modern Rock Personality of the Year” and “Radio & Records’ Local Modern Rock Personality of the Year.”

During his time at KROQ, Edwin even bought the Queen Anne Victorian estate home in Pasadena in 1994. Years after he departed from the radio station, Gould sold the property. Jed the Fish officially left KROQ in 2012 to join KCSN, where he worked for the next six years, conducting the weekly radio show.

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Tributes pour in after Jed the Fish passed away

Edwin Fish Gould III was 69 when he passed away in LA. After Jed’s demise, many shared their condolences on social media. Jim “Poorman” Trenton, Gould’s colleague from KROQ, dedicated an Instagram post to the late DJ and wrote,

“I don’t know what to say… I’m gutted … radio lost one of the greats. I lost one of my friends, colleagues and mentors. @jedthefish #jedthefish was one of #kroq greatest eat DJs and I was privileged to work with him and learn radio from him.”

Trenton added that he paused his concurrent FM radio show to talk and share stories about Jed. Like the Poorman, KROQ also posted about the late disc jockey and posted many of his pictures on Instagram. The caption of the post read,

“RIP to our beloved friend @jedthefish who passed peacefully away in his home this morning at the age of 69 💔”

Another KROQ radio personality, Megan Holiday, shared a post about Jed the Fish and wrote,

“Getting to know @jedthefish over the last few years is something that I will cherish forever. There was no one like him on the planet! Unique, wild, creative, talented, loving, kind…words can never convey his spirit.”

Writing about Jed’s contagious laughter, Megan shared a post about doing a David Bowie-inspired photoshoot with the veteran DJ.

Film producer-casting director Paul Sinacore also posted a picture of the late radio icon and wrote,

"Today I lost my dear friend, Jed the Fish… the voice of a generation has signed off… you’ll always be with us. 💛🙌 🎙️🐠 Tune in to KROQ at 3pm. My obit tribute… thank you my friend 🥁"

Many admirers and listeners of Edwin also paid tribute to him via comments on his last Instagram post.