Lubbock radio DJ Amy O dies in San Antonio motorcycle crash
Lubbock radio DJ Amy Garza — known on the air as Amy O — died in a hit-and-run motorcycle crash over the weekend in San Antonio. She was 44.
Amy O was known for her afternoon shift on KBTE, 104.9 The Beat, where she was the program director and regularly topped Lubbock's radio ratings. The station confirmed her death Monday.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Amy. It is rare to find a person as passionate as she was to her career and community," said Jay Richardson, senior vice president of KBTE parent company Alpha Media in Lubbock. "I had the opportunity to work with Amy for the last 14 years and she was the face and energy behind 104.9 The Beat. It is impossible to replace what she brought to our organization and to the people of Lubbock."
San Antonio authorities said Garza was a passenger on a motorcycle that was traveling west around 2 a.m. Saturday in the 3300 block of U.S. Highway 90 near the exit to General McMullen Drive when another vehicle sideswiped the motorcycle and threw Garza and the driver off the bike, the San Antonio Express-News and other local media reported.
Garza suffered severe head trauma and died at the scene, police said. She was reportedly not wearing a helmet.
The driver of the motorcycle suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.
San Antonio police are looking for the driver of the vehicle that hit the motorcycle. Officials said the driver allegedly took off after the crash and will face a charge of failure to stop and render aid resulting in death.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help her family with funeral expenses.
Condolences pour in after Amy O's death
Many in Lubbock have expressed sadness at the news of Amy O's death, including competing Lubbock-market jockeys and radio stations.
"The entire crew at FMX would like to express our condolences to the friends, fans, and family of Lubbock radio legend, Amy O," Townsquare rock station FMX wrote in a Faceboook post. "She made the world, and radio, a better place to be. She will be missed forever."
Tejano station Magic 106.5 also shared condolences.
"On behalf of Magic 106.5 and our parent company Ramar Communications, we would like to express our deepest condolences to Amy O’s family, friends, colleagues and listeners," the station wrote on Facebook. "Amy O’s untimely death is very heartbreaking and a big loss for the Lubbock radio industry. Please join us as we keep Amy O’s loved ones in our thoughts and prayers."
Lubbock City Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia said in a social post Amy O will be missed in the Hub City.
"She made me so proud and I told her that," Martinez-Garcia wrote. "We've lost a dear friend and an advocate. Lubbock will feel her absence immensely. Lord, I lift Amy, her family, her coworkers at 104.9 The Beat and all of us in prayer. Lord, please get us all through this."
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock radio DJ Amy O dies in San Antonio motorcycle crash
