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Reminiscences and tributes to Bill Bonds began flowing Saturday night, shortly after news of his death at home in Southfield on Saturday.
"He brought the bar of journalism to heights that we all still look up to," says Roop Raj, on the left at age 15.
The brash, outspoken former WXYZ anchor is recalled as "a great character, a great guy" and someone "everyone watched.".
"He could read the telephone book and make you pay attention," says Jeanne Findlater, a past general manager at Bonds' station who's quoted by Tim Kiska and Matt Helms of the Free Press.
Those inspired by Bonds include Roop Raj, a Fox 2 News reporter and early morning anchor. Back in 1994, when Raj hosted a public access cable talk show in Troy at age 15, the big shot broadcaster generously went on.
"Bonds surprised me when I invited him to be a guest on my TV show," Raj tweets with the photo at right. "'I wish you relatively good luck, kid. But take your time,' Bonds told me when I said I wanted his job," Raj recalls. "He brought the bar of journalism to heights that we all still look up to."
These are among other posts from social media, including some from Deadline readers:
♦ "However much we write about the late Bill Bonds, Bill would tell us it isn't enough. A great character, a great guy." -- Neal Rubin, Detroit News columnist
♦ "He was the most important and influential person who ever sat in front of a camera in Michigan." -- Vic Doucette, Southfield
♦ "Bill stands for news. He was the only guy who had the stones to tell off Coleman Young on the air. No fear.." -- Jim Bowman, Grant, Mich.
♦ "Heartbroken by the passing of my true mentor, Bill Bonds. Whatever modicum of success i have enjoyed in my broadcasting career i truly owe to him. He often referred to me as his little redneck buddy. Detroit has lost an icon. I have lost a true friend. RIP Billy. I love you!" -- Glenn Therrin, executive sports producer, WJBK (Fox 2)
♦ "I had the pleasure of interviewing him a few times. He was always delightful, smart and wicked funny. Seven years ago at the Free Press, I wrote about a Detroit punk band called the Bill Bondsmen. Bill was a relentless reader of newspapers, and he didn't like some adjectives I used to describe him in my column, and he let me know the next day as only he could do, in a classic voicemail message. I never deleted it, and here it is. R.I.P., Billy. What a legend." -- Jim Schaefer, Freep reporter, posting the voicemail tape on Facebook
♦ ""People automatically thought Bonds when they thought news. Whether you liked him or not, whether you liked his opinions or not, he made news not boring." -- Amyre Makupson, past Channel 50 anchor quoted by the Freep
♦ "He had the combination of being very arrogant on the one hand and a very great, funny, down-to-earth guy on the other." -- Dick Kernen of lSpecs Howard School of Media Arts, also interviewed by the Freep
♦ "Bonds was a talented broadcaster and a committed newsman. He wrote and talked in a powerful, intelligent, yet conversational style. His eyes, face and voice told you the stories, almost as if there was no camera and no TV between him and you. . . . He was a bona fide local celebrity. Some loved him. Some hated him. Everyone watched him." -- Matt Friedman, former WDIV news producer (1996-98), reposting 2008 blog reflections on "one of the best local TV communicators I have ever seen."
♦ "There never was a Bill Bonds before. There never will be another. He was truly one of a kind. . . . I can see him right now, demanding an exclusive one-on-one with God." -- Jim McFarlin, past Detroit News TV writer (1979-95)
♦ "What people often don't remember (or know), when they talk about his excesses, is how smart he was, and well-read. He was one of the last of the local anchors who knew history, who could write very well, too. He didn't study TV at the U of D, he studied history, English, etc." -- Susan Whitall, Detroit News features writer
♦ "I'm too young to remember Bill Bonds on TV, but too related to my father to not know a million amazing stories about him in Detroit bars." -- Andrew Dooley, MLive web producer
♦ "RIP, Bill Bonds. There will be Bill Bonds shots tonight in your honor." -- Joe Chroma, Grosse Pointe Park
♦ "I had the opportunity to meet him. Bill was so down-to-earth. Nice guy. and say what you want about him but he was an outstanding anchor [and] newsman!!" -- Brian Mayer, Roseville
#billbonds u were a legend No one like you. U touched so many lives and will be missed @wxyzdetroit prayers for ur family and coworkers
— Karen Drew (@KDrewLocal4) December 14, 2014
Bill Bonds. RIP. The anchorman as performance art. Anybody who grew up in metro Detroit knows just what I mean.
— Don Gonyea NPR (@DonGonyea) December 14, 2014
No surprise. Bill Bonds is trending on #Twitter. Long live the King of Detroit TV News. #backchannel
— Dave LewAllen (@tvnewzguy) December 14, 2014
Few things are more Pure Detroit than coneys, Mayor Coleman A. Young and Bill Bonds.
The newsman's family issued this statement, posted by WWJ:
For us Bill was so much more than the face on TV, the talented anchorman. He was a wonderful husband and father who cared deeply about his children and his family. We will miss him greatly.
Bill had a great passion for the news business. More than anything, he loved bringing the news to the people of Detroit. Bill believed we were a better community, if we were a well-informed community.
We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
The ABC affiliate where Bonds worked from 1963-95, with some breaks, says online that past colleagues "are calling in and sharing their fondest memories of Bonds."
It adds: "Some of the people include: Erik Smith, Mary Conway, Jerry Hodak, Robbie Timmons, Val Clark, former WDIV anchor Mort Crim, former WXYZ News Director Al Upchurch, former WXYZ VP/GM Grace Gilchrist, Bob Berg, former press secretary for Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young; You can hear what they had to say in the video player below."
Among Bonds' memorable, heartfelt commentaries was this tribute to John Lennon on Dec. 9, 1980, a day after the ex-Beatle was fatally shot outside his Manhattan hgh-rise on Central Park West:
