BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – If you grew up in Bakersfield in the 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s or aughts, you no doubt heard his voice. You might even have listened to his voice with enthusiastic regularity. A lot of people did. Doug DeRoo was something of a celebrity in those days. A wild and kooky radio celebrity with a wickedly quick wit, and a virtuoso touch on the turntable. Alone or paired with a succession of co-hosts, he dominated the rock and roll airwaves. Doug DeRoo died in Bakersfield at the age of 73. One of his best remembered co-hosts, Rachel Legan, now a country music DJ in San Antonio, shared the booth with DeRoo for 10 years. “I couldn’t believe my luck when I was partnered with him,” she said in a text. “I grew up listening to him and idolized him. The man was born to be a disc jockey.” Kern County Firefighters arrive in Altadena to battle Eaton Fire Douglas Clark DeRoo was born in 1951 and attended Redlands High School. He wanted to be a DJ from day one. He landed at KERN radio, then a Top 40 format station, in 1972. Over the years he worked at a half-dozen local stations. He worked for years with Anne Kelly, who now does a video podcast from her home in England. “We would always be told to ‘Take it down a notch, reel it in a little bit,’” she said. “I couldn’t even get through the news without laughing and wetting my pants, because it was just that much fun. It was just natural. I would have loved to be able to work with him more. I do love him.” A beloved, wise-cracking Bakersfield radio legend, dead at 73.